Point Coquille
by TheMockTurtle
Summary: Point Coquille plays host to upper-class wizards every summer and with them, a society with its own complications. A stray dog, a family of uneasy Ravenclaws caught in the crossfire, a temperamental witch, and a community tearing at the seams of various ideologies.
1. Point Coquille

**PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Summary**

In Divination there is a common saying among seers: "A shell's energy brings about harmony even to the roughest seas." Point Coquille plays host to upper-class wizards every summer and with them, a society with its own complications. A stray dog, a family of uneasy Ravenclaws caught in the crossfire, a temperamental witch, and a community tearing at the seams of various ideologies. On the seashell lined shores of Point Coquille, Sirius Black has to make peace with being disowned. To Marlene McKinnon, Sirius Black has come to disturb her own inner peace.

A summer at Point Coquille merely marked the beginning.

 **Chapter One**

Point Coquille

 _In Divination there is a common saying among seers: "A shell's energy brings about harmony even to the roughest seas."_

 **July 4th, 1976**

 _Dear Most Incorrigible Padfoot,_

 _All is well on the Potter Front (for now). The weather has been absolutely rotten since we've gotten back to Chester so Mum's made a right fuss about it being this way when we're down at St. Ives. We're leaving tomorrow evening so Mum's made me owl you and ask when we could be expecting your grand entrance at the holiday home. I trust you remember very well where it is. And if after six years you can't remember, don't bother showing up._

 _Don't be shy to Floo in, although I know you won't be._

 _Mum's on my case about my packing (I've apparently haven't packed a chock-full of jumpers that she'd be pleased with). I'm off to ready a wardrobe of jumpers I won't be wearing. I swear, the first day back I'm Jamesie, by the second day I'm Franky First Year around here._

 _Write back soon!_

 _Your warm and weather equipped friend,_

 _Prongs_

 _P.S.: Don't bring jumpers._

 _P.P.S.: Stop feeding Sicra treats, she's looking more like a Fwooper every time she gets back from yours._

—

The summer nights of July 1976 were all around stiff and silent in southern England. Nestled between theprickling seashell-lined shores of Porthminster and the rich green highlands of Cornwall were a constellation of upscale and charming holiday homes. From the exterior, Point Coquille's brown brick summer homes appeared docile and proper.

—

 **July 5th, 1976**

 _Dear Warm and Offensive Prongs,_

 _First of all, I'll have you know that the incorrigible part was uncalled for. True. But uncalled for, none the less. The weather in London has been nothing but dreadfully warm, though I can't say I envy your conditions, but I rest well at night knowing you'll be warm throughout the rain in your many jumpers._

 _I'm not sure when exactly I'll be planting the Devil Snare seed of an idea in the old hag that I'll be escaping to yours soon. But as soon as the shrilling screams have died down I'll be right over. I take it by the time you receive my reply you're already in the_ _humble_ _home surrounded in the_ _warmth_ _of the high-class aristocrats of the wizarding community. I'll make sure to post this to you at Point Coquille with Sicra's table manners up to par._

 _Let me know how it goes on the Potter Front now that you've got the Ravenclaw Front in your company. I promise I'm not laughing._

 _Your Bored Friend Who Should Be Allowed To Find Pleasures In the Little Things,_

 _Padfoot_

 _P.S.: If I bring any they'll be just for you, because that's how much of a good friend I am._

 _P.P.S.: Sicra is a curvy owl and she likes it._

—

The blanket of silence and stillness that swept across the community that evening may have been owed to the heat. The summer's warmth was pounding against the bricks of homes and seeping through cracks. Regardless of the hour of the evening, the stiff air remained unforgiving and preyed on the families that hoped to wind down over roast and potatoes.

—

 **July 5th, 1976**

 _Dear Benjy,_

 _To make this letter far less dramatic than how I'm feeling I'm going summarize the beginning of my summer in one sentence: Guess whose come back home?_

 _You probably guessed right with that fantastic Ravenclaw foresight of yours. To which I have to pose the next question. When are you getting here? I'm not sure how I'm going to last all summer with the Dense Duo_ _and_ _perfect Edmund McKinnon._

 _I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to tell you, but he announced at dinner he was leaving his post with the Curse Breakers in Egypt and coming to fill in a Ministry position he got offered. Did you know he said it was_ _boring_ _? BORING breaking into thousands of year old tombs. Only Edmund McKinnon would say such a pompous thing with that smile of his._

 _Did you know all that Egyptian sun has just made his teeth look_ _whiter?_ _I didn't think it were possible._

 _I'm going mad already. Tell me you and your family will be in Point Coquille shortly? I know you're due to be in Greece at the beginning of August, but I feel you owe me tad after that stint in Charms Club._

 _Please please please write back soon with good news._

 _Earnestly waiting to hear from you!_

 _-Marlene_

 _P.S.: The weather is splendid here! Have I persuaded you enough?_

—

 **July 6th, 1976**

 _Dear Misguided Marlene,_

 _Great to hear from you too, Marlene! I'm doing swell, thank you for asking so persistently! It's always great to receive an owl from your best friend, open it, and see the time and care they took into writing it. Now, I don't want to take too much time talking about myself._ _I wouldn't want to seem rude._

 _You know I'm only joking. Slightly._

 _But straight to it because I'm shameless and just as curious. He's_ _BACK_ _? But he's been gone for three years, why come back_ _now_ _? I would scold you and remind you about sibling love and all, but I'm a little shocked to be fair. After all the fuss the Prophet made about him being the "youngest curse breaker in decades" you'd think he'd finally found the recognition he's always sought after. I didn't think there would be any going downwards from there. I actually thought he'd end up making some profound discovery that we'd eventually end up reading about in History of Magic._

 _Aside from that, the Fenwicks are all packed up and ready to head out to the shore by next weekend, so hold on tight. I'll be on my way so I can get a first-hand look at the blinding smile myself._

 _I would also like to remind you that_ _it happened one time_ _. "Shrink" and "Stink" sound_ _very_ _similar when you're half asleep because you were up half the night helping a certain nervous_ _someone_ _with the History of Magic test that day._

 _Looking forward to seeing your delighted expression when I Floo in!_

 _-Benjy, Your Saviour._

 _P.S.: How did your parents react? Well, I mean. Which little emotion did they choose to show?_

—

Two families in particular were managing as they gathered in the warm dining room. It was no surprise to the upper-class wizarding community that the Potters and McKinnons chose to vacation together each summer at Point Coquille. Their notorious family tie linked as far back before the boyish days of both Egbert McKinnon and Fleamont Potter. Their fathers had met when they both served in the Wizengamot alongside eachother. It wasn't until after Henry Potter publicly denounced the then-Minster for Magic's decision to forbid wizards and witches from helping Muggles during the First World War that Edward McKinnon approached the Gryffindor. Edward found profound admiration for Henry's nobility and courage and decided to discuss his own views and debates he had been chronicling in journals about the Statute of Secrecy.

The wizard community took note of the blossoming friendship, Cantankerus Nott especially. After a verbal-spat in which Nott warned Edward if he continued to associate himself with an "extremist like Potter", his entire lineage would suffer being crossed off the Sacred Twenty-Eight of the Pureblood Directory. To which Edward scavenged the little audacious courage his Ravenclaw gut could muster and spat on the Wizengamot floor next to Nott: "That's what I think of your directory." It was then Henry's turn to find profound admiration for the stately Ravenclaw's loyalty and stance, who so rarely showed uncouth behaviour.

It was then, in their views and newly outcast status, did the Potters and McKinnons form a bond.

Until recently.

—

 **July 6th, 2015**

 _Dear Useless Padfoot,_

 _I assumed when Sicra came back empty-clawed it was because either she lost your letter or you didn't write back. Which is impossible because who can shut you up?_

 _Day one has barely begun and I'm about to tear my hair out. Last night we got in and all was well. Lots of unpacking to do and cleaning up the dust and such… except throughout the entire process McKilljoy did nothing but ask question after question to dad about the Potions O.W.L. She was walking him through the practical like she was trying to get her results through him. I asked mum if I could take care of the garden work because I was about to lose it. But I kept quiet. Mostly because it was pitch black outside and mum gave me a look._

 _Now, you know I'm not the type to beg. And I will not_ _beg_ _you of all people, but tell me you're getting here soon? The unpacking and cleanings all done, since that's probably what you've been scheduling around._

 _Floo in soon, you mangy mutt._

 _-Prongs_

 **July 7th, 1976**

 _Benjy,_

 _Yes, just "Benjy" because I am at my wits of how frustrated I am right now and how I'm trying very hard to hide how annoyed I am. This morning at breakfast all Potter could do was drone on and on about his Quidditch team. Apparently they're playing later on this month. Puddle of Mud or something they're called. Point is, that during the entire rant there were specks of his muesli flying across the table onto my plate. Needless to say I was not having anything aside from tea this morning._

 _Don't even get me started on Edmund. If I have to hear the story about the bloke who got his foot stuck in a tomb one more time I'm going to vanish him back to Egypt. I rather hear McGonagall scratch her paws down her chalk board over and over._

 _Do you know what he said to me the other day? I was going through Mr. Potter's collection (he's got the first edition of "_ _Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes"! I'll show you when you get here) when Edmund waltzes in. He sees me reading and says in that pompous tone "Enjoy your reading, Marlene?" so I go ahead and try to be civil and mutter "'sFine." I think if I ignore him_ _maybe_ _he'll get the point and move along._

 _No._

 _Instead he continued to make conversation. Or more like_ _his version_ _of conversation._

" _Not having trouble reading such a large fancy book, are you?" he says._

" _Smart,_ _Gryffindor_ _girl like yourself should be having no trouble. I remember reading it in during my third year summer."_

 _Smart Gryffindor girl like myself?_ _Benjy. What does he mean?_ _I_ _know what he means. It means, if he makes another jab at me being sorted into Gryffindor I'm going to vanish him into one of the tombs in Egypt. But that'll just give him another ruddy fantastic story to tell at dinner when he manages to escape._

 _Benjy. Help. I don't know if I can handle it if half of the Dense Duo hasn't even arrived yet._

 _-Marlene_

—

Because in culmination with Marlene's uptight attitude and James Potter's knack for troublemaking, there was a very slim chance in the durability of the McKinnon-Potter tie. There had been no tight-knit friendship created over the years between Marlene and James, and Edmund was at least three years his senior. On the contrary Marlene and James could hardly remember ever having a substantial conversation. Possibly in their youth there might have been childish exchanges and arguments over frivolous matters.

Truth was, Marlene could not stand James Potter and his band of havoc-reeking friends. And James chose not to endure Marlene's serious attitude. Aside from Remus, Marlene didn't interact much with the remaining three obnoxious Gryffindors. There has been a growing bitter animosity between Marlene and James and Sirius the moment they stepped on the Hogwarts grounds.

Marlene liked order.

Direction.

And achievement.

It's why it made her such an easy target for teasing by the boys.

They enjoyed chaos.

Impulsiveness.

And freedom.

Sirius enjoyed hexing Marlene's Arithmancy charts and the fury that would bubble over on her once expressionless face.

Marlene relished biting comments about James and Sirius not belonging at Hogwarts.

James took too much pleasure in rolling his eyes when Marlene's hand shot up in class, but left the dirty work to Sirius with a simple nudge.

Remus felt sorry for Marlene after every Arithmancy lesson as they'd walk out together. Sirius and James always seemed to be waiting, leaning languidly on the opposite wall, snickering to themselves at the two emerging Gryffindors.

Marlene savoured walking past Sirius polishing trophies during his detention and smirking to herself.

And Sirius enjoyed holding up an award and reading her brother's name out loud: "Edmund, Edmund, Edmund. So many Edmund McKinnons, but no. No, Marlene McKinnon in here." And watching her storm off.

In hushed tones in the Great Hall they were the "Dense Duo" to Marlene.

In letters and notes in class she was "McKilljoy" to James and Sirius.

But in every other occasion they managed to stay out of each other's way. They were background noise. A bland comment on the weather.

Unless provoked.

—

 **July 8th, 1976**

 _Padfoot,_

 _Where are you mate? You'd normally be here by now eating everything out of the pantries. Think I might_ _finally_ _be gaining weight since you're not here eating the extra. Mum's been bothering me to owl and ask again. She wants to know how many tickets to get to the Puddlemore match next week! Mr. McKinnon got two tickets close to the top box, but he can't go because he's got some "prior engagement". Dad and I reckon he just doesn't care much for Quidditch. Dad says he was like that at Hogwarts too, only used to come out to watch dad play and even then he was lost. One time he came out cheering when Ravenclaw lost and dad had to come to his rescue. Since it's only two tickets so mum needs to know if you'll be here by then (which you will, but formalities for dear mum) because then she'll know if she should get one more._

 _Really good spots so get excited! I'll tell mom to get it anyway, no way are you missing if Craig Davidson's finally breaks Jocelind Wadcock's record!_

 _-Prongs_

 **July 9th, 1976**

 _Padfoot,_

 _Mum placed the order on the ticket so we're set to go. I know! I know! You're not as excited for Quidditch, but I am not giving up the chance of seeing them beat_ _the Catapults in the playoffs for a spot in the League Cup_ _._

 _Also, went downstairs after a kip this afternoon and found the McKinnons in the living room all reading. They looked at me from behind their books and it was eerie. I swore I was looking at one of those statues in dad's Muggle Art History books. You'd think they'd know a different expression apart from "stoic". You have to see it for yourself so get your flea ridden arse here!_

 _-Prongs_

 **July 10th, 1976**

 _Sirius,_

 _Where are you?_

 _-James._

—

Marlene found her mind had drifted off in midst of the warm dining room. Maybe it was the heat playing tricks on her mind, but she was finding it hard to concentrate on Edmund's story, even if she did care to listen. Marlene wasn't sure why, maybe it had to do with her staring at the seashell pattern stitched into the mantle. Her mind traced back to something she had learned in Divination in her third year.

Seashells were meant to represent tranquillity and peace.

They were used in Divination for this purpose; because they radiated the soothing energy from the water. So why at Point Coquille, which was known for its abundance of seashells, was Marlene not feeling 'tranquil' or at 'peace'.

The French doors of the villa were wide open to allow the scarce fresh air to circulate. Marlene had strategically sat in front of the gaping door hoping the wind would sweep across her face, but it only had done so mercilessly less than often. James must have had the same idea since he sat across from her, flushed, and closing his eyes when the occasional breeze brushed over his neck.

"Naturally, I couldn't leave him by himself."

The tinkering of laughter brought Marlene back to the brown and ivory marbled dining room. James and Marlene shared a knowing look, the only sad excuse of a conversation they seemed to share when it concerned Edmund.

"But somehow the chap managed to get his foot stuck inside _again_." Edmund finished coyly smiling into his wine glass. His dark brown hair was smartly parted with precision and his charming smile gleamed against his clean shaven and sun-bronzed face.

The seashells had failed Marlene once more. She scowled and pushed her vegetables around her plate.

"Marlene." Euphemia Potter chuckled lightly. Her kind hazel eyes regarded Marlene across the table with mirth, "I haven't seen you this upset over cauliflower since you were five."

Marlene felt a pressing warmth creep up her neck and it wasn't due to the heatwave. She could already feel Marta and Egbert McKinnon's disapproving glances from their end of the table. The sound of their faces setting in harsh stoic lines were almost audible. James, she was almost certain, was smirking into his own wine glass.

But proper witches did not kick shins under the table.

They merely waited for the opportune moment to strip them of their pride.

Edmund was unperturbed by the interruption as he placed his wine glass down before continuing with his story. He was recounting one of his many adventures in the tombs of Egypt. Marlene could only think of the poor 'clueless intern' who had taken centre stage in Edmund's monologues. From the amount of times she had heard the story she had choreographed all the right times to smile. But it was far too hot to feign interest.

She fidgeted with her silverware and once more made to drone out Edmund with little effort. She tried to focus on anything that wasn't his voice.

The heat generously aided to her cause.

Where was _her_ peace and tranquillity, Professor Helenus?

With a silent exhale Marlene reached forward for her wine glass. But as she brought the glass to her lips, her eyes flickered upward, and the glass slipped from her hand— a loud gasp erupted from her throat.

The room's temperature dropped swiftly.

Or had that been her own pressure plummeting?

An icy chill had settled over her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention to the unfolding sight.

"Marlene! That's authentic Egyptian linen—" She heard it come from her mother's end of the table, but it sounded as if it were fighting its way up a deep tunnel.

Had she swallowed her tongue mid-gasp?

 _Say something!_

But only a croak scratched out of her tight sandpaper throat.

Marlene hadn't noticed the tremble in her hands until they came up to clasp over her mouth as she clumsily took in the sight in front of her.

Everyone at the table had stared at Marlene in bemusement before looking over to the spot her troubled attention was fixated.

A pale, worn, and haggard Sirius Black took final shuffling steps. His movement was slow and sluggish, his step weighing him down further from the effort it took. He moved to lean all his weight against the open French doors and dropped exhausted against it. His bruised hands clutched onto the door for dear life. A pained and defeated expression etched the tired lines of his face. Ebony black hair, once so pristine, was tussled and pressed against his face from the sweat formed on his pale forehead. Or was that water? The contrast caused a drastic look to his pallor. Typically smug grey eyes were heavily lidded and unfocused as he winced and panted.

Was that sand heavily coating his shoes and cloak?

She stood up; lost at what to do. The immediate scratching of the chairs against the marbled floors, in any other occasion, would have called for a scolding. But this time they made a cry to aid. Marlene watched as James, without a second's hesitance, flocked to Sirius' side. He moved to drape Sirius' arm across his lanky and tall frame. Quickly, Euphemia followed suit with Fleamont on her heels to help Sirius inside. Egbert pushed the chairs and other menial objects out of the way as they moved quickly through the kitchen. Edmund and Marta had bustled through the chaos, leaving the scene in search for a MediWitch Aid kit.

Sirius' pallor was worsening. His head was bobbing involuntarily and his body was slacking heavier by the second against James.

Marlene felt a sick twist in her stomach as it clenched involuntarily. She stood glued to the spot in wine soaked robes as the wizard staggered past her—pale and wounded.

It was then that a thought occurred to Marlene in her shocked and useless trembling frame. Her third year in Divination had been a waste, because no amount of seashells surrounding them were enough to emanate energies of peace and tranquillity.

 _Where is the peace and tranquillity now, Professor Helenus?  
_

* * *

 _There's snakes in the garden._

 _Blood on the vines._

 _Every time I slip away,_

 _It feels like a crime._

 _(Hush)_

 _Hush_ — Joy Williams & Matt Berninger


	2. Hush Hush: The Heretic

**PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Two**

Hush Hush: The Heretic

"They'll come for him, you know."

"Everything they've done to that boy is illegal."

Marlene remembered a novel she had read once, not so long ago, where the main character had left the duel heavily injured and gasping for his life. The author had described the wizard's state as _ghostly_.

 _Ghostly_.

His eyes vacant. His breathing slow and ragged. His pallor pale and _ghostly_. If anything, the author meant the wizard's presence was slipping.

It was when Sirius was rushed to his room that the memory of the novel had struck Marlene.

Sirius looked ghostly.

The sight of his unconscious figure rattled a fear inside Marlene that she had never felt before. A fear that froze her to the core and made every other moment of fright she had experienced before now seem hollow. Empty and childish.

The time she thought she'd forgotten to do her Astronomy homework. The first time she had to present in front of a class. Even the mild panic she felt when she confused the order of her Transfiguration and Charms O.W.L.s on her study schedule.

The magnitude of those fears quivered in comparison to the pins and needles she was now feeling in her hands.

Marlene spent the rest of the evening doing a strange dance between the living room and the kitchen to the erratic rhythm of her heart. Her purpose was unknown and misplaced in the unfolding, for lack of a better word, situation. Firstly, and naturally, the Potters were the most focused on Sirius seeing as he was basically their family. Her own family was far more advanced in any magic Marlene knew, let alone _allowed_ to perform, in order to help. They were helping in whatever way they could before settling into the living room in silence.

 _How did the muggles do it_?

The need to disappear into her surroundings was the strongest of her instincts every time she replayed the Sirius' collapse. It left her in an uncertain limbo between offering the very minimal help she could and staying completely out of the way.

Marlene hid behind the frame of the kitchen's entrance as she tried to calm her own shaky breathing. She tugged at her fingers and scratched gently at her palm to fight away the pins and needles. She brought the same hand up against her stomach, trying to quell the sickening feeling rising up her throat with its pressure. Her eyes found the intricate designs on the white walls.

Sirius Black was hurt. He was _very_ hurt.

What if he was irreparably hurt?

 _No. Shut it._

She blinked harshly and pulled her hand away from her stomach. Her palms pressed firmly against her eyes in attempt to gather herself. The image was burned into her mind the tighter her eyes squeezed. Quickly Marlene opened her eyes and looked around the bright, white, and abandoned kitchen. Several dishes were now left cold and forgotten on the counter tops. Absolutely nothing was helping to dissipate the persistent anxiety of the unexpected guest just floors above her.

She made her way over to the kettle and did the only thing she could think of to do.

 _Silly girl._ _Making a pot of tea when someone upstairs is_ —

 _No. Shut it._

Marlene found herself dawdling back and forth between teas. As if the contents of the kettle would somehow influence the course of the night. Influence the blood that was on his face. Influence his pallor. Influence the state of his wounds. The tinkering rattle of the teacup against its saucer brought her attention out her spiral of thoughts and down to her pale and shaking hands.

Earl Grey or Chamomile?

Redbush or Rose infused?

Marlene didn't have enough fingers and toes to count the times she must have rearranged the tea tray. Bidding her time and thinking of how ridiculous she'd appear at the doorway of the living room with a tray of tea. As if they were politely hosting a guest. She stared down at the completed tray. The white and blue fine china ornately poised just the way she has been taught in finishing class. Suddenly, she realized its silliness and the embarrassment seeped in.

Sirius Black was upstairs.

Sirius Black was upstairs, hurt, and unconscious.

The same Sirius Black she had been dreading to see. Sirius Black, whose last encounter with her was less-than-friendly and consisted of littering her Astronomy O.W.L. notes in the corridor. The same one whose name was liberally littered denigratingly in her letters to Benjy.

And all Marlene could do was arrange a tray of tea.

With a defeated sigh, and one last glance to the tray, Marlene slowly made her way back to the living room.

"This is _reckless_."

She stopped short.

That was the hushed angered tone of her mother. Her brow wrinkled and made to move forward when her mother spoke again:

"How can they _think_ of permanently taking him in?" Marta McKinnon continued.

Her mother's hissing whisper was getting louder and suddenly the unwelcomed trail of pipe tobacco met her—her father was stress smoking. Marlene would usually smell the woodsy bitter scent when her father was facing a particularly tough case at the Ministry.

Her father smoking. Her mother's tone higher and tenser than she had heard in years. The stain in her curious ears was almost automatic, but the quiet creeping near the wall was not. Had her heart not been thumping so hard in her ears, she wouldn't have had to basically press her ear to the wall.

"How can they _think_ of permanently taking him in?" Marta McKinnon let out a frustrated breath. "Their kindness will be the end of them. I've told, Euphemia. They'll come looking for him, you know. You know _those_ types, Egbert."

There was a pause.

Egbert McKinnon puffed out a breath. "Their fondness for the boy outweighs the risk." The calmness in his voice was eerie.

"But to put _us_ at risk too?" For a composed and stoic witch, Marta sounded frantic. Something in the pit of Marlene's stomach dropped. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard her mother _frantic_.

" _Everyone_ will know, Egbert. _Everyone_. We're not exactly in a remote location. The boy has plainly come into the belly of the beast."

There was a beat of silence before Marta continued cautiously. "Every longstanding wizarding family is here, Egbert." She was straining the sentence through her teeth with as much composure she could manage.

Marlene froze and her brow furrowed. She was right. Point Coquille wasn't exactly known as a muggle holiday destination. Majority, and if not all, families that took up residence every summer on the shelled shores of Point Coquille, were traditional wizarding families. Names that traced as far back before Merlin's time. The village was known for its magical connection. But what did that have to do with Sirius?

As far as Marlene knew, Sirius was upstairs, unconscious, and wounded. The last thing on her mind was what the wizarding community would think about hosting Sirius, as they had every summer. Even _if_ Sirius was famously known as the Black family outcast, who constantly picked fights with his family members, and remained absent at most social events. What did it have to do with Sirius?

She heard her father exhale loudly before saying coldly, "Everything they did to that boy was illegal."

"He was _reckless_." Marta interjected haughtily.

"Marta." Egbert's tone came warningly.

" _Splinched_ , Egbert. He _splinched._ "

 _Splinched?!_

They wouldn't start learning how to Apparate until the beginning of next term! How could it be possible that Sirius already managed to Apparate all the way to St. Ives from London without a single lesson _and_ being underage?

"Marlene."

A firm voice came from behind. Marlene quickly wheeled around to meet Edmund's stern and serious face. The night's event was creasing lines into his tanned face. A chastising and disgusted look formed. His dinner jacket was long forgotten in the dining room and his dark brown hair, always pristine, now slightly tussled. Her heart leapt to her throat where a squeak was immediately muffled. She could feel the colour leaving her once warm face. There was always something about Edmund's presence that rattled her from inside and caused invisible ropes to pull her into proper form. The fear dissipated and a frown creased her once gaping mouth.

"Edmu—"

"You know better than that." He interrupted coldly before walking past her and into the living room.

 _Brilliant_.

Marlene allowed herself to fully lean against the wall in the empty foyer in order to gather herself.

"How is he?" Edmund's voice was clear and crisp. It was a clear message to Marlene: stop the childish behaviour and get inside the room.

Egbert cleared his throat and Marlene imagined a waft of smoke escaping him. "He was in quite a state." He answered sombrely. "Splinched on the beach. Luckily, Fleamont brewed Dittany for the trip in case of any emergency. They expect he'll recover just fine."

Marlene felt the pressure on her chest rise suddenly.

"Right." Edmund said hesitantly, thinking better of asking or saying more.

Then silence fell among the McKinnons once more and Marlene's figure slinked out of the hallway with a tray of tea in mind.

The week following Sirius' unexpected arrival Marlene hardly saw sight of the Potters—especially James. He would make an appearance for lunch or dinner, but the rest of James' time was spent in Sirius' room. It's almost as if he had turned into a vessel that once housed the obnoxious James Potter. He wouldn't feign polite conversation nor bother excusing himself as he'd hastily get up from the table. With him, he'd always take a prepared tray of food upstairs. She wasn't sure if she was expecting to see Sirius. The awkward days consisted of Marlene tip-toeing through the hall of bedrooms and chasing away the image of Sirius' beaten state when she'd see his door.

Marlene had started feeling like a stranger in her own home.

Were they just supposed to pretend that Sirius Black had not stumbled into their holiday home beaten, unconscious, and _ghostly_? She had exhausted the thought to its last fibre. The memory of that night muddled against the one of their last less-than-friendly encounter.

 _Leaving the Ancient Runes Classroom._

 _Talking animatedly with Remus about the upcoming Astronomy O.W.L._

" _Oi! Remus!"_

 _London accent._

 _Her hands tense. Her smile fades._

 _Against the wall, across the corridor, two raven haired boys are leaning languidly._

 _Her plan is to swiftly move past them—no eye contact._

 _But as she walks past the wall of mischief makers, he leans in slightly towards her:_

" _Wotcher McKinnon."_

 _She looks him dead in the face. Tense jawed and rolls her eyes._

 _The same face she saw, but now bruised and_ ghostly.

The thought haunted her throughout the week and any chance she thought she'd have at distracting herself was substituted for the anxiety of asking her parents' permission for Benjy to visit.

The house fell into a strange blend of silence and evasive conversation. Sirius' presence had boiled down to the unspoken entity in the house. His presence was known, but not seen or spoken about among the McKinnons. During breakfast one morning a tired looking Euphemia had requested that it be best if Sirius' presence in their household were kept quiet until "things settled down". What exactly needed settling down, Marlene was unsure of, but she had a few guesses. She thought of Benjy's unanswered owls again and the fear that came with the need to speak to him.

Marlene was curled on one of the brown leather chairs of the living room. Her copy of _Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes_ flopped open on her lap, slightly forgotten as she has been dozing off ever since the heat had worn down. The evening's soft chill swept in a lullaby with every breeze. Slowly, Marlene was being hushed to a light sleep by the pattering of the rain, the cool breeze, and the far off crashing of the angry sea.

An intense and forceful knock resonated through the house. It shuddered its way across the ceiling and through the hallways. The living room was the first room to be filled with the knock and it settled itself on top the tense silence. Marlene's once bleary eyes were now alert and searching the room for the source.

A sudden tight silence took hold of the room.

The pattering of the rain.

The quiet whistle of the wind.

The crashing of the sea.

The conversation among the Potters and McKinnons had waned out as they shared a knowing glance. They had turned their attention to the foyer. There was a strain in Edmund's perfect posture, his hand wound tightly on the paper he had been reading.

Something was off.

Marta's brown eyes sought out Egbert and she pressed her lips in a tight line. As if to stop herself from the thought that lingered on the tip of everyone's thoughts. Marlene glanced between the elder wizards and a cold chill worked its way up her spine.

Something was certainly off.

The knocking came once more. This time, more intense and more forceful than it has been the first time. The first time was polite, strictly business. The second, was a warning.

It was Fleamont who finally stood up and made his way out of the living room to answer the door. They sat still for a beat of silence listening to Fleamont's steps as he made his way to the front door. Edmund had now sat up to attention. He snuck a glance around the room and locked eyes with his father. Marlene was scrambling in silence for the same, no one would meet her gaze, for an answer or explanation.

Footsteps. Silence. The creaking of the front door opening.

"Good evening, Orion."

Clear and crisp the sentence could be heard in the living room.

At the name Euphemia and Egbert got to their feet. Both elder wizards looked hesitantly to one another before looking back to the entrance of the foyer.

"Good evening, Fleamont. I am aware of the unlucky hour to drop in, but I am sure you know why I'm here." The deep and smooth voice greeted them.

But regardless of the voice's soothing tone, Marta visibly tensed at its sound. She looked to Euphemia who made to move to the foyer, but her hand shot up to hold her back. Marta gave her a look that read: 'Just… wait.' And so she did as they waited for the next words exchanged.

But the following words exchanged were too hushed and too polite to be heard all the way to the waiting living room. Marlene was worried she might be breathing too hard and maybe they couldn't hear anything because of it. Taking precaution, she held her breath and tried to lock eyes with _anyone_ who would explain to her what was going on. But it all seemed to begin to make sense. In a moment of embarrassment for her own lack of enlightenment and cleverness, she realized why exactly Sirius Black had entered their holiday home in Point Coquille battered and _splinched_.

Suddenly, there was an elevation in the voices and a scuffling of feet. It was then that Egbert McKinnon made his way abruptly out of the living and into the foyer where the voices were growing louder. Marta's grasp on Euphemia's wrist tightened.

"Orion. See reason—" Fleamont tried.

"Potter. This is the last time I will offer you my courteousy. I've come to collect what's mine." Orion's voice had fought its way through the foyer where his presence was very much known.

"I have to echo Fleamont's call for civility." The tone of diplomacy her father took was one Marlene had recognized too well.

"This doesn't concern you, McKinnon." Orion said with much more force, the politeness evidently stripping from his one smooth tone.

"Marlene, go upstairs." She heard her mother call to her coldly and _frantically_. Marlene turned her attention to her mother suddenly. Marta's stoic nature could not betray the tone Marlene had heard twice this past week. She sat stiffly and gestured to the staircase at the end of the room right past the opening to the foyer.

She had opened her mouth to protest but she knew better. Instead, Marlene had gathered herself from the armchair and picked up her book, but before she could move anywhere near the staircase had promptly strode in through the foyer. Immediately, Edmund stuck and arm out to stop her from moving any further. Orion Black stood before them, in front of the staircase Marlene had been instructed to go up just second before. Regardless, Marlene had frozen at the sight of the older Black.

Orion Black had the presence that demanded and commanded attention. In all black he stood tall, lean, and intimidating. There was a twisting fear in Marlene's chest where she could feel the breath she had been holding in. The similarities in the lines of Orion's face were disturbingly similar to that of the undeniably haughty aristocratic features of Sirius'. Orion's ebony hair, although greying and thinning, and his cold grey eyes were inexplicably the same.

"Where is he?" Orion hissed after taking one sweeping look around the living room. When the room and its inhabitants failed to give him his answer Orion's face, once so convincingly similar to Sirius', had become distinguishable by its raw rage.

"BOY!" He bellowed suddenly. Marlene has instinctively taken a step backwards. Her heart was hammering in her ears. Why wasn't anyone saying anything? Did he come for Sirius? Euphemia was now walking towards Orion with her face equally displaying her vexation.

"Orion, that's enough." Euphemia's direct and stern tone had no trace of the polite Euphemia Marlene grew up knowing. "You have done enough." Orion seemed to take her in finally, as his eyes ceased their search.

"He's here then." Orion said with much more calm. The impatience in his tone clearly peeking through. "Of course he is." He almost spat. Disgusted and irritated Orion looked up to the indoor balcony. He then looked to the staircase right below it temptingly before turning back to Fleamont.

"Bring him down here." Orion hissed and pointed a long finger harshly to the ground below him. "Or I will."

"You will do no such thing." Euphemia interjected furiously, but Fleamont stepped in.

"Orion. You cannot force the boy to leave with you. He won't. And you know it." Fleamont said. "He'll be of age soon. He's just going to find his way back."

"BOY!" Orion bellowed one more time. Just as his knock, the second time was a warning. Marlene took another involuntary step backwards and looked up to the indoor balcony. She could see James appear and peer over from the gallery. His usually gentle and boyish expression was set in harsh heated lines. Then, before she could take in the peculiarities in the people she thought she had known so well, from her mother's frantic tone, Edmund's poor posture, and James' red face— Marlene's breath caught in her throat as she saw another figure appear next to James. Peering down at the scene was the unspoken entity, looking better than the previous week but just as worn. Sirius Black with a livid look across the face. He quickly turned around and was making his way towards the staircase.

James looked frantically to stop him, "Sirius. Stop." And hurried after him down the flight of stairs.

Marlene hadn't noticed but she had stopped breathing almost entirely watching the scene unfold. Her eyes were darting from the elder wizards trying to calm the situation to the new figures descending the stairs.

A tense silence lay heavy on the room as Sirius took the final steps into the living room. Euphemia had moved towards Sirius, a softened look of her vexation present as she tried to get him back upstairs in bed. Sirius, in all Marlene's years of watching his interaction with Euphemia, had never paid her the amount of disrespect as he had then. He completely disregarded her, it was as if he had drowned out everyone in the room except for the looming figure set on him.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius hissed out with as much venom as he could muster. He stood tensely in front of the elder figure who seemed to almost mirror him in every fashion. From the manner they stood, looked, and spoke. Sirius wavered slightly, pale, but not _ghostly_. Orion almost smirked, and a nauseated feeling overcame Marlene. How could he smirk? Did he not notice he was standing in front of his injured son? Her stomach turned at another realization, one that she would not be able to blink away for years to come. She couldn't help but notice how much Orion smirking resembled a smug Sirius.

"I knew I'd find you here." Orion drawled. "That's how much of a _man_ you've become." He almost muttered, but took too much pleasure in letting everyone hear. He accentuated every word.

Sirius didn't waver, as if the sentence had waved over him. He stared his father down. "I asked you. What are you doing here?" he said once more with much force. The second time, Marlene had learned, was a warning.

"I'm here to bring you home. To salvage the last bit of dignity of the family name you've taken too much pleasure dragging through the mud." Orion pressed. Both Black men were staring at each other as if two livid and guarded dogs meeting for the first time. Any sudden movement or noise would cause one or the other to jump.

There was beat of silence then Sirius did the unthinkable. He let out a loud chorus of barking laughter.

"Ho-home? Are you—are you mad? No. No. Don't answer that. I'm pretty sure I've got the answer to it." He said between breaths, "That's what years of inbreeding has done to the Black name. If you want to talk about lack of dignity to the family name, I think marrying cousins off to one another is a far bigger issue."

Orion snapped and his wand was flush against Sirius' throat, the chorus of laughter dying immediately. Marlene gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth in a foolish attempt to rectify her carelessness. Her wide brown eyes looked to James who was being held back by a furious Fleamont. Marlene wasn't sure when, but at some point Edmund had taken out his wand and was now almost fully blocking her view of Orion.

"Orion! That is _enough_!" Fleamont barked.

"Do it, old man." Sirius growled. "I know you want to. Do it, because there is no chance I am _ever_ going back to that _sick_ house."

"You will _thank these people_ for their time, Sirius, and you will COME home with me and fix what you have so happily broken!" Orion was disturbingly close to Sirius' face. Orion's was red, his teeth bared in an animalistic fashion, and growling down at his son. His patience had run up, the faux politeness was entirely stripped away, and now he was ready to take Sirius kicking and screaming if he had to.

Marlene knew that Sirius was a ridiculously unpredictable character, creative at that, but he had never stopped surprising those in the room. Which is why, Sirius cocked his head back and spat with much vigour right in Orion's red face. Without a second thought and much time to stop him, Orion had bellowed out a curse and Sirius flew back into a side table.

"DON'T!"

The strangling cry had come from Marlene and it had stunned her as much as it had stunned everyone in the room with the little attention they could afford to give it. The only reason she knew it had been her, has been the hot tears in her eyes from the harsh scratching in her throat he scream had struggled out of.

Euphemia had rushed to Sirius' side as Marlene's cry had distracted Orion enough. Edmund's arm stuck out again and harshly pressed against Marlene, keeping her back as much as possible.

"GET OUT!" Euphemia bellowed from kneeling next to Sirius. He was attempting to shuffle to his feet now. The elder witch looked up to Orion with a rage that should not be rivalled, "GET OUT!" The scream scratched the surface of her chest before her frail frame began shaking. Sirius was struggling to hold himself up against the wall behind him. His grey eyes met Orion's, but there was no telling what Sirius was looking at or what he was searching for. Wouldn't it be hard to see through the foggy rage burning his vision?

"You heard, Mrs. Potter." This time it was Edmund's voice that took the room by surprise. Calm, calculative, but the edge in his tone was hard to miss.

"Leave now, Orion." Fleamont echoed. He stepped up around the wizard to block his view of Euphemia and Sirius. James, who was red and heaving a heavy chest, was now being held back by Egbert. Fleamont who was usually such a light and kind wizard was bordering on vicious. His own wand out as he stared down Orion.

The harsh pattering rain.

The loud howl of the wind.

The crashing of the sea.

It was as if Orion had finally taken in the room and the number of wands in it. He lowered his wand and did away with it as if he had never had any intention of using it.

"Keep him." Orion spat. "He's no use to us. Or anyone, for that matter." He gave Sirius one more look over as he would a pile of rubbish on the pavement.

"Again, I apologize for the hour." And with that Orion turned to leave but not before stopping and looking over his shoulder, "I won't forget this, Potter." Orion, along with the attention his presence once demanded, had disappeared as he stalked out.

The room remained silent as the words hung heavy. But Euphemia and James were already busying themselves with helping Sirius get up. He asked them to stop fussing over him as he limped straight back up the stairs, looking at no one as he did so.

Marlene watched as James and Euphemia followed suit up the stairs. Marlene realized why exactly Sirius Black had entered their holiday home in Point Coquille battered and hurt. Sirius was more than just the outcast of his family. It was much worse. He was their heretic.

* * *

 _So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down_

 _I'll never wear your broken crown_

 _I took the road and I fucked it all away_

 _Now in this twilight, how dare you speak of grace_

 _Broken Crown –_ Mumford & Sons


	3. It Takes A Lot to Know a Man

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who took the time out to read this ongoing plot bunny that has not let me rest since 2012. The moment I managed to get what I wanted to say for Chapter One, I was as excited as a kid who just lost her first tooth. I wanted to show absolutely everyone, even if the Blackinnon following isn't as large as others. I really do appreciate if you're following, reviewing, or silently reading. Thank you to those who have reviewed, it's those types of words that make me feel like I should keep pulling out my teeth—no, wait. That's not right. You know what I mean! Thank you!

This chapter and opening chapter name(s) is/are inspired by Damien Rice's" _It Takes A Lot to Know a Man"_ (which I don't own, by the way).

(*whispers* If you're interested, sometimes I make minor aesthetics per chapter on my Tumblr page. The link is on my profile.)

 **PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Three**

It Takes A Lot to Know a Man

"What are you so afraid to lose?"

"What is it you're thinking that will happen if you do?"

His throat was dry.

Rough, with its thickening walls.

Why was his leg trembling?

His ribcage hurt. Not from the blow he just took. Although, he was promptly expecting a large bruise to emerge across his back.

What was that thumping?

His heart hammering his ribcage.

Beating harder and faster in his quickly tightening chest.

His breathing shallowed.

There was no room for his lungs to expand.

His head was light.

The room wouldn't stay still and he clenched his eyes tightly. He stumbled straight into his desk and he heard the sound of his heavy breathing for the first time.

Fast, erratic, and out of sync.

He sputtered desperately trying to inhale and exhale.

The little contents in his stomach tossed about.

The bile was at his throat.

He couldn't breathe.

 _Control. Your. Breathing._

Panic.

He abandoned his grasp on the desk, leaping forward with trembling legs, and clutched the paper bin as he was sick.

 _Better_.

Sirius clenched his eyes tightly and wiped his mouth. He tried to take back control of his breathing. If he controlled his breathing, the tightness in his chest would ease, and the thumping would ease. Everything would just _stop_.Would it please just stop? It was supposed to; from that moment he made it through the front door.

He could feel the warm pavement underneath him again, scrambling to run, and his scratched palms burning.

The smell of Apparition.

The sound of the length of his leg splinching.

The crashing of the night's tide against the shore.

The taste of salt and sand.

He could feel his raw throat burning from the bile. Sirius slouched back against the foot of his bed. The floor cooling against his warm, overexcited body and he closed his eyes before taking in another deep breath.

Then he cracked.

Like a whip, his fist reached up and flung back with a desperate frenzied force against the wooden leg of the bed.

 _Crack_.

The clenched fist pulsated angrily and began to redden. Sirius' attention pulled away from his fist to creak of the opening door. A sombre faced James entered and closed the door behind him. For a second, Sirius gave a curious look why Euphemia wasn't following James inside. He turned his eyes down to look at his angry fist. It was odd, but Sirius had never felt so embarrassed. The restless twisting in his gut and the exhaustion in his chest made him uncomfortable under James' gaze.

His back and pride were now bruised.

James cleared his throat and leaned back against the closed door, "Told mum to wait back a few minutes. She put up a fi—she was being _persistent_."

Sirius said nothing and looked over to his left leg. Below the red plaid pyjama bottoms, the length of his calf had been bandaged. The dittany he had applied two hours ago was gradually wearing off. If he focused hard enough, he could feel the familiar soft sting, but the swelling of his fist was momentarily demanding his attention. He was certain if he rolled the pants' leg up there would be splotches of his blood against the bandaging. Euphemia must have been _persistent_ indeed.

James took an uneasy step towards Sirius. Cautiously, as if approaching a stray dog for the first time, and gaining its trust with every calculated move. Eventually, James too was sitting on the floor next to Sirius. His back against the length of the bed, shoulders barely touching, and settling in the silence of his best friend's beaten pride.

"If you want, I can owl Remus and Pete to hold back on coming—"

"No, _I'm fine_." Sirius said tensely. His nerves strummed together. The familiar tune of his wounded pride.

"Alright." James cleared his throat again.

The sat in silence just as they had for many days and nights since Sirius'… _arrival_. The unspoken rang through the air and it sat heavy on their minds. For every question, James already knew the answer. For every recognition of gratitude Sirius wanted to express, James already sensed. Apologies were off the table, it would only earn Sirius a hard knock at the back of the head.

So, they sat in silence just as they had the previous days and nights.

"I'm not going back—"

"You're not going back." James' replied in an immediate and decided tone.

As promised, after almost half an hour in silence with just the shuffling of their backs, Euphemia knocked. She appeared calmer than… _earlier_. Her grey hair still fraying out of it's usually neat bun. He turned his eyes down to look at his angry fist. The automatic words were stuck in his throat: _I'm fine_. _I'm sorry_. But after six years Sirius knew better now than to fight Euphemia.

 _Fight_.

Yelling.

Laughter.

A scream.

A crash.

A sick feeling of guilt washed over him, his stomach clenched, and he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry—"

"No." Euphemia warned. There was a hint of aggravation in her tone, quickly coated by her calm composure. "You are not going to apologize. You have nothing to be or feel sorry for."

Sirius didn't meet her eyes and for the second time that night felt he had disrespected her. He shifted uneasily against the frame of the bed once more and thought of the growing bruise on his pride.

"Am I clear?" She asked lightly.

Sirius gave a short shrug still refusing to meet her eyes. Instead he fiddled with the drawstrings of his pyjama bottoms. If he acted as if everything were okay, maybe everything would go back to normal. Before his family burst through the Potter's holiday home to _collect_ him, before his disruptive arrival, before the burden that Sirius Black had been on the Potter family. An extra dinner plate, an extra Christmas gift, an extra worry.

An extra.

There was a pause of silence before Euphemia added, "I'm guessing you're not going to let me check you."

"I'm fine."

Euphemia tucked in her lips. Sirius scolded himself silently. The words slipped out before he had the chance to stop himself. No matter how hard James, Fleamont, or Euphemia tried to ease Sirius' worry and unease, the harder it became to believe he was wanted.

"Normally, I don't allow my children to do as they like." Euphemia's tone was diplomatic and smooth. A tone Sirius thought she'd only reserve in her seat at the Wizengamot. "It starts to make them think they don't have a mother to answer to. Just look next to you, the one who looks like an Acromantula died on his head." James looked up playfully glaring at her.

"Alright, but next time I better not find your hand anywhere near my hair."

Euphemia rolled her eyes. "I'm letting you off this time, Sirius. But tomorrow I wanna have a look at that leg. No discussion."

Sirius nodded slowly. The strain in his chest eased slightly at her words and softer tone. Eventually, Sirius wasn't sure when, but Euphemia disappeared from the doorframe. James had gotten up, slowly and hesitantly, and commented on the time of the night. It was his discrete way of saying Sirius should get some rest.

 **July 14** **th** **, 1976 –** _4:15 AM_

The clock on his desk ticked away.

 _Tick._

 _Tick._

On his back, Sirius had been lying awake for hours. Listening to the obnoxious ticking of the clock and the muffled crash of the sea in the distance. The two sounds were bizarrely out of sync. There had been nothing relaxing or poetic about it. For hours he had been replaying the night's events in his mind. Behind his eyelids or projected against the dark ceiling. Every so often he'd force himself to think of something—anything, different. He thought of the Quidditch match James had wanted them to attend and how Sirius' effort to feign interest increasingly dwindled. He thought of the Entrance Hall's great oak door and how they got there. He was sure he could find it in _Hogwarts: A History_. Mr. Potter must have had a copy somewhere if the question bothered him enough.

But it didn't.

Instead, Sirius thought of the words Orion Black had seared into his brain.

" _That's how much of a_ man _you've become."_

Sirius scoffed loudly. As he sat up abruptly and stared hard into the night.

A man. What did Orion Black know the first thing about being a man? Angrily, Sirius knocked around his desk drawer until he found the cardboard cartridge he had been looking for. Limping slightly he tossed about the contents of his night table.

A man.

What did Orion Black know about being a _man_?

 _Click. Click_.

A spark of fire, a sharp inhale, and a puff of smoke. Sirius had successfully manage to light his cigarette and quell the bundle of tension gathering at the back of his neck. He pushed open the French doors and the chill of the night greeted his warm face. The crash of the sea was no longer muffled, now clear and crisp in his ears. The earlier rain and the salt of the sea mingled and overwhelmed his senses. It was still dark, no doubt with at least an hour left until sunrise. Sirius took his weight off his left leg leaning against the intricate concrete baluster. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and took a sweeping glance at the view in front of him.

To any other person, vacationing at St. Ives (or Point Coquille as the snobs of the wizarding community knew it) it would have been alluring. A small holiday community nestled against the coast of St. Ives, with clear blue waters and white sandy shores. The Potter-McKinnon backyard was directly underneath his balcony. The quaint gazebo he remembered taking naps in past summers. The stone path in the grass that traced the exit to the back gate. Beyond the tall fence and gate were the grassy and uneven dunes leading to the shore. Sirius' grey eyes followed the length of the shore he could barely make out in the dark. When his eyes landed at the end of the strip—the large white wooden structure with its twinkling lights, Sirius' stomach lurched.

He found himself taking a deeper drag. As much as Sirius wanted to avert his eyes, he couldn't. The Cavern: Point Coquille's clubhouse—a watering hole where Sirius could almost picture and animate the movement of affluent and prominent wizarding families gathering.

Fluency in French. Waltzing. Impeccable penmanship. _A dark mark_.

Were those the qualities needed to be a _man_ to Orion Black? Sirius scoffed loudly before flicking the devoured cigarette over the edge and reaching for another.

 _Click. Click._

A puff of smoke.

Sirius' angered and irritated face hide behind the cloud of smoke floating out of his mouth. The chill of the night washed over him, but Sirius didn't mind. Hopefully the chill would help numb his mind for the rest of the evening. He tore his eyes away from the clubhouse. Sirius knew everything that awaited in The Cavern. He remembered from young age kicking off his dress shoes at social gatherings. Running and screaming the more he had been told not to. Wrinkling and destroying his robes that were made of the "finest threads", or so he was constantly reminded. At age eight, Sirius and Regulus had gotten caught in some rosebushes behind the Nott's garden, completely shredding their robes and caking their shoes and dress pants in mud. He had managed to convince Regulus that he had seen a Sphinx. If they hurried, they would be able to answer its riddles, and then ask it any question they wanted. This was all the concoction Sirius' own boredom having been stuck at the Nott's luncheon for four hours. The look on Walburga Black's face was one that Sirius would never forget for years to come.

" _Disgraceful!"_

Sirius swallowed harshly as the sting in his left leg was becoming more prominent. The cigarette he held between his fingers was quickly burning away with the more he drew it to his lips.

 _She's screeching and crying._

 _Wailing._

 _His ears are burning. His heart pounding in raw fear._

" _HOW CAN YOU DISGRACE YOUR FAMILY, YOU UNGRATEFUL PEST!"_

" _REDEEM YOURSELF! AND MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR_ ONCE _!"_

 _The shrieks are getting louder. The curses fly against the walls of his room, but the posters and pictures remain unaffected._

 _This drives her anger. She points her wand at him._

 _She screeches. Her face is red._

 _He rushes out the hallway and he could feel his heart in his ears._

 _Their words come in and scorch over the marks they've already burned into him._

 _Fight or flight._

 _Fight or flight._

" _Make the right choice, Sirius."_

 _Orion's faux smooth voice reaches his ears._

 _Before he has a chance to turn around. The older man grasps his left arm, his fingers dig deep into his forearm. A reminder of what was to come._

 _He wheels around and snatches his arm out of his grasp. A slew of yelling ensues. The type where the words are muddled together, but none are heard or received—it's a battle of volume and force. Whose chest burns the most is the one who wins._

 _Around the corner of the staircase the youngest Black waits for the scene to finish. Because it has to finish._ Finally _finish. But a loud crash and string of curses catch him by surprise._

 _The heretic is writhing in pain. There's fire in his bones, there's ice in his gut, there's a vice-like grip on his heart—all at once. The more he tries to slip away, the harder it squeezes._

 _He has to run. If he wants to live. He has to run. If he stays—if he stays..._

Sirius clenched his eyes tightly shut and his gut twisted. He was beginning to worry he would grow immune to the small relief the cigarettes allotted him. This only made Sirius shake out another cigarette from the pack. Unconsciously, he had been flexing his hurt hand.

Sirius could have cared less for his French lessons, he prided himself in his sloppy handwriting, and the rest that he happened to remember he kept in the deep crevices of his brain. Muscle memory. But Sirius was not about to entertain the requirement of a dark mark to fulfil the criteria of a respected wizard of society. And if that cost Sirius being a _man_ in the eyes of Orion Black, he would choose the long scare on his calf. He was sure it hadn't been the night's chill, but instead the looming presence of the clubhouse in the distance that had made his skin crawl. At that moment Sirius realized, the summer and everything after that awaited him would not be easy. The need to not be in his own skin had never been so strong.

The pink hue on the horizon of the sea was becoming slowly visible. The seagulls were slowly waking as they screeched down by the shore. It wasn't going to be easy with the McKinnons present. Every other year he had managed to be as true to himself as he could—out of respect for Euphemia and Fleamont. He was fully aware of how close the McKinnons and Potters were and he was not about to embarrass the Potters in front of their oldest and dearest friends.

But he had thought of it.

Many times.

Now he had to factor in the blow to his pride, not only to the nuisance he had cost the Potters, but now the McKilljoys too. Sirius extinguished his cigarette hurriedly knowing well enough if he didn't stop his chain smoking right at that thought, he'd continue into rest of the day. The McKinnons were enough to infuriate and worry Sirius all at once. He had known for years that they took their status and presentation in wizarding society very seriously. He thought of it as some sort of virus that every wizarding family suffered at different degrees and stages. The Potters, for instance, respected and valued their position in society out of respect for tradition and their lineage. Euphemia Potter's seat in the Wizengamot also came with many social responsibilities. But if the Potters were the common cold, the McKinnons were pneumonia. As for his own family? They suffered from a different, foreign, and terminal disease caught from mingling where they shouldn't have been. Sirius thought of the guilt and unease of facing the Potters, now he had to factor in the McKinnons.

But Sirius did not risk his life by carelessly apparating on the shore of Point Coquille to hide away. If this was truly it— if he had been truly freed, he was not about to waste his life hiding away. He watched as the pink stretch of the horizon's fingers spanned out into the increasingly brightening sky. The honey coloured glow of the morning was beginning to reach out and touch the shore, the house, and his face.

 **July 17** **th** **, 1975** – 12:03 AM

Insomnia. Hours and hours of insomnia were accumulating on Sirius' clock. The incessant ticking every night was beginning to sound like a mocking chant. It might be because he still refused to go downstairs. Sirius wasn't in any particular mood to face anyone. His pride made no wiggle room for polite conversation and evaded glances.

His days consisted of making up for the sleep he couldn't get at night. He'd draw his curtains tightly closed, wake around dinner time where he would sit with James for a few hours talking, and take the opportunity to shower before calling it a 'night'. As much as he didn't want to disappoint James and Fleamont, he couldn't bring himself to attend the Puddlemore match tonight. Instead, Sirius' version of a fun night was pacing around his room and contesting whose scale he would choose to weigh his self-worth. In a spiral of overwhelming thoughts and the same panic that struck him the night of the incident— Sirius did the only thing Sirius knew best.

Drink.

That's how he found himself, on the outskirts of Point Coquille's magical village, in a Muggle pub, and chatting up an attractive brunette leaning over the bar. Seeing as he had no Muggle identification, it had been easy to get the first few drinks. From the corner of his eye, he'd make eye contact before smirking to himself. He'd look away or look up to the telly screen where a replay of an earlier match was on. The Muggle men who had flocked to the pub after their late shifts were now catching up with the match and groaning loudly.

"Football not doing it for you?" Honey coloured eyes met his and he had to stop himself from smiling.

 _Two._

He was on his second drink and whatever was in his glass was working. Another one soon followed. Burning auburn liquid coated his throat in a way that reminded him too much of Firewhiskey.

 _Three._

Felicity, the pretty bartender, told him that it was just called _whiskey_ in the pub. He learned that Felicity was just at St. Ives on holiday from Bristol. Her aunt owned the bar and she needed to make some extra money for college.

 _Whatever that is._

Sirius assumed it meant the equivalent of Hogwarts for Muggles. He was beginning to wish he had spent less time pitching pieces of parchment at Remus' head in Muggle Studies. Anytime there was a bump in the conversation, he'd pull out one of his cards. He'd reach across and twirl a lock of her hair. He'd ask how a pretty girl like her was working late on a Friday night. She was completely hooked on his accent and what London was like since she never got the chance to go.

As quickly as the thick Cornish accents filled the pub, when the match was over with defeated moans and cursing, most of the pub emptied out. The volume of the music was turned back on, the sound of the telly was muted with a black box in Felicity's hand.

"Oh, gert lush! This song!" Felicity grinned widely. Sirius, although an avid listener of the Wizarding Wireless Network's 'Magical Muggle Melodies' programme, he did not recognize the song. A man and woman were singing about not breaking each other's hearts and being … _clowns_? Sirius wrinkled his face in confusion and laughed generously.

The heat of the whiskey bubbling through him.

 _Four._

"Not an Elton John fan?" Felicity asked.

"Of course." Sirius offered a smooth smile.

She had moved down the counter to an older man sitting two bar stools away from him. She was leaning over the bar again, chewing on her rosy lower lip. It was enough to make Sirius coyly smile and shake his head. The warm amber liquid was working its own magic and Sirius was not completely ready for the intensity that Muggle alcohol was. His mind had thickened by his fifth glass. His thoughts processing as if he were moving through thick mud.

"You're a city b'y, ya?" The older man that had been sitting two bar stools way spoke up in his thick Cornish accent. He blinked a few times before turning his attention to the older man. "You sound like a city b'y. London?" He asked again.

Sirius' brow furrowed momentarily before nodding. The older man, with his balding white head of hair, laughed loudly. The man nodded, his silver tooth baring, "Sounds like 'em." Sirius chuckled to him.

"I knew moment you stank right in here. Not Cornish are you, I thought." The older man crossed over a bar stool closer to Sirius. He dropped his voice to a whisper, "Not old enough to be drinking like your chacking, ayes?" The older, drunker, man laughed to himself again before taking a drink from his tall glass.

"London…" he muttered to himself and Sirius nodded slowly. Amused, he watched the man bring a finger up in thought, "Tha's 'bout five…six hours by car. A right trip!"

The older man, clearly, had no clue of how quick and what state Sirius had washed up on St. Ives' coast.

"About…" Sirius said tentatively before reaching for his drink again. The short lived thought of his arrival enough to earn himself another glass.

 _Five? Six_?

"What brings you to St. Ives? Holiday?"

 _Drink._

"Something like that…"

"Somethin' like tha'? Come on, Emmet. You here for the pretty birds?" He nodded to Felicity. She shook her head rolled her eyes.

"Emmet?" Sirius asked her.

"Means 'tourist'." Felicity said before moving around the bar to busy herself at a table. Sirius followed her movements and watched her from over his shoulder.

"Oh…er…" Sirius hesitated, staring back to his glass, "No, don't think I'd say I'm on holiday."

His thoughts mushed together.

 _Drink_

"St. Ives 's a nice town for holidays." The old man drank from his pint. "Sun, beach, and people with money." The last factor sent the man into a deep laughter. He coughed violently before chuckling to himself. His watery blue eyes were unfocused and his words slurred.

 _Drink_

"Rubbish— 'Holiday'. Where's your family?"

 _Drink._

 _Drink._

"Not here with them."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Don't geddon with 'em?"

 _Drink_

 _Drink_

 _Drink_

"Nah."

Sirius blinked a few times before he realized the glass in front of him was empty once more. More thoughts wading through the thick mud in his mind. It was getting harder to focus on anything other than the words coming from the old man.

"Ere. I didn't geddon with me own. I ran 'way."

"Oh yeah?" His fingers against the whiskey tumbler.

"Yeah. Tuss dad, tuss mum." He leaned in close to Sirius, "I said fuck 'em! Took money I got working down by the port. Bought me first motorcycle and leff 'em."

Sirius interest spiked and he looked to the drunk with curiosity.

"You've got a motorcycle?"

"Used to, ayes." He sighed deeply before drowning the contents of his glass, "I got it at a bike shop here. It's still 'round after years. Pass by from time to time see what's new. Back then I had to sell it. Got a bird pregnant." He shook his head and looked longingly to the empty glass. Sirius turned to his own glass the exact same way.

Too much, too soon, and not enough alcohol.

Carantok, the old drunk, was a motorcycle enthusiast. Although Sirius had read up on motorcycles in Muggle magazines on motorcycles, he'd get caught up on the terminology.

"Na, na, na! No matter what no cack magazine tells you. You can do no wrong with a Bonneville Triumph. They've got the flam-new T120, go have a look. Swear on Truro City—no matter how tuss they play."

He had lost count of his drinks.

Carantok had lost count of his drinks.

Sirius heard Carantok's story. An alcoholic father, a depressive mother. He got in trouble a lot growing up, a few run in with the police (Sirius assumed that meant Hit-Wizards). Carantok battled with what it meant to be a _man_ in the eyes of his father, his girlfriend, his child. Carantok didn't have a plan Sirius didn't have a plan.. Men usually had plans, right?

Carantok felt he had never belonged in his family. An unease so desperate in Sirius had grown looking at Carantok who was now estranged from his child and family. He was _alone_. Alone at a bar talking to a stranger and washing his misery away in beer. Would that be him? Would Sirius find himself at a bar twenty, thirty years from now talking through a drunken stupor trying to numb the loneliness. Had he made the wrong choice?

Among the banter and the tossing back of drinks somehow Sirius had found himself, at the end of the night, pressing Felicity against the outside of the pub's wall. Her feverish kisses against his numb mouth as he tried to think back to how he got here.

Thick mental mud.

Sirius wasn't able to ponder the hazy thought to an end. The next thing he remembered he was stumbling through the backyard of James' home. He stopped to laugh at himself. The mangy mutt, homeless and creeping into open backyards. A _stray_ with no owner.

Free.

By himself.

Alone.

 _Brilliant._

He staggered and found himself kneeling on the grass trying to stop the yard from spinning. In a plea to stop the spiralling mixture of thoughts and liquor he looked up.

And he wished.

Oh, how he wished he had not looked up at the skies on that clear summer night. Because among the stars and constellations, which Sirius' eyes were trained to find, he thought he had seen _home_.

* * *

 _Oh my god,  
Please help me, waist deep in the river, can you hear my plea?  
He says, son, you come like a beggar in the streets  
You might make it, boy, but by the skin of your teeth._

 _Bartholomew_ – The Silent Comedy


	4. Tolerance

**A/N:** Thank you once again everyone who reviewed and if you're silently reading along. I've been busy and came down with a nasty flu so editing this chapter took four more days than I intended. I thank you all for your interest and for tuning in! If you like it or have anything constructive to say, I'd love to hear it!

* * *

 **PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Four**

Tolerance

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."

 **July 16** **th** **, 1976**

It came without a shock that the McKinnons were a family who valued proper planning and punctuality. They ate dinner at the same hour every day, double checked their social events calendar throughout the year, and made sure there was no wiggle room for spontaneity. Edmund McKinnon always thought of it as a respected discipline to practice. Which is why, Edmund had scheduled himself that entire morning and afternoon to shuffle through his paperwork in order to play catch-up. It was written down neatly on his desk planner: _Department Readings – 10:00_ _to_ _17:00_. Nestled between _Wake up, Shower, Breakfast – 8:00 to 9:59_ and _Dinner – 19:00._

He would begin his new position at the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures starting August and there was still an ample amount that required his attention. Being unprepared was not a trait that came easily to Edmund. He poured over a thick document labelled " _Protocole and Procedure_ ", exactly on schedule until he was seriously perturbed by the sound of a knock at the front door. When it became clear no one would be answering, Edmund reluctantly and irately abandoned his position in the study to answer the call.

 _Muttering_ under his breath about being a house elf.

 _Asking_ himself under his breath where were the house elves.

 _Cursing_ under his breath that no one realized he had a reading schedule to stick to.

Edmund's eyes took a second to adjust to the bright day, but its brightness was only to be rivalled by the person standing before him. A tall young wizard with dark hair smiled broadly at Edmund. The sincerity and friendliness in his smile, if Edmund were being honest, was slightly off-putting. Sceptically, Edmund straightened his posture and with a raised eyebrow said: "Hello?"

The young wizard looked to be mulling something over in his mind, before shaking his head. If possible, his smile intensified. "Hellu Edmund, long time no see." Edmund frowned, slightly taken aback by being addressed so forward by a strange kid.

"Uhm… I'm sorry?"

The young wizard chuckled to himself suddenly, his bright blue eyes twinkled. "Of course, sorry. It's been three years or more. It's me, Benjy Fenwick." The young wizard looked expectant and hopeful. The reaction to come from Edmund had been the exact opposite he had been searching for.

Edmund's brow creased tightly. The words in his throat formed awkwardly staring to Benjy the way he would a ghoul.

 _Benjy Fenwick?_

"Benjy? _Little Fenwick_? Clifford and Brynn's son?"

Benjy's smile faltered slightly, his thick dark eyebrows knitting, "Well, I wouldn't say _Little_ Fenwick anymore. Reckon I'm taller than you now." He said with a hint of indignation. The type you'd hear from a toddler correcting their age by the fraction.

This didn't seem to help his case as Edmund's frown deepened. Maybe it had been the intensive studying of the protocol of observing and approaching beasts, but Edmund took a mental overview of the almost fully grown wizard.

ONE. Is the beast or creature within sight?

 _Yes._

TWO. Is the creature dangerous? (Using the TWELVE step process.)

 _Well, not that I can be sure straight away. The smiling and friendly behaviour could be deceptive. Maybe it was a mechanism to gain trust._

THREE. Is the creature male or female?

 _Male._

FOUR. Is the creature at breeding maturity?

The frown on Edmund's face disappeared quickly and was replaced with a harsh stern expression. His brown eyes narrowed slightly as the young wizard before him shifted uncomfortably.

Benjy coughed, "Er…is Marlene in?"

Edmund almost went rigid.

 _Yes._

"Marlene." Edmund called loudly. His hard stare did not leave Benjy's squirming state. "Someone's at the door for you."

 _Little beast seems to be at breeding maturity._

Footsteps were heard behind Edmund and he moved aside slightly. His gaze never faltered from Benjy's uncomfortable stance.

"Someone at the door—? Oh! Benjy!" Marlene said as she came into view. "I wasn't expecting you." The scene before her was odd. Edmund's posture was stiff, almost like an eagle waiting to lunge at its prey. Benjy, who was usually uncaringly coy and cheerful seemed to be _squirming._ Uneasily her gaze shifted from Benjy to Edmund, he remained stiff, unmoving, and calculative compared to the awkward dance Benjy was performing. Finally, Edmund turned to look at Marlene. The expression on his face foreign to the both of them as he tried to relay something to her. But he and Marlene both knew they never seemed to speak the same language. They stood lost in translation as his brown eyes met hers before she frowned at his strange behaviour.

 _What?_

"Well, it was nice catching up, Edmund." Benjy started cautiously. He was asking for his tongue to be hexed off, "Hope to hear more of your Egyptian rendezvous. Cheers." Benjy chuckled nervously before he quickly slinked past Edmund and Marlene. He was making a fast beeline for the kitchen. If Marlene didn't know any better, Benjy would keep walking through the backyard, out the back gate, through the sand dunes, and straight into the sea at his pace. Marlene didn't follow him immediately, instead stood looking quizzically at Edmund whose gaze seemed to follow the back on Benjy's head before turning to her.

 _What?_

Regardless, she wordlessly ended the quiet exchange to find Benjy in the backyard. He was settled underneath the gazebo among the cushioned benches. Marlene squinted at the sunny day, the smell of the sea strong and tempting. She crossed the backyard and stepped into the cool shade of the quaint wooden gazebo. Benjy had found refuge and was now clutching onto a pillow. He looked up at her incredulously.

"So," Benjy mused, "he's as charming as ever."

Marlene bit the inside of her cheek.

"He's insufferable." she groaned before sitting down across from Benjy, "I'm counting down the days until beginning of term."

They sat in silence, only listening to the rustling of the neighbouring trees in the summer breeze.

"Why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

"Well, it's been almost two weeks and I haven't seen you at The Cavern. Your letters are more tedious than usual and I _vaguely_ remember being begged to come here." Benjy grinned. Benjy Fenwick could easily be one of the sincerest wizards someone would have the pleasure of knowing. There was nothing mystifying about his kindness or sincerity. There was no need to question his motives for friendship or interest. Benjy's kindness transcended from within to his physical nature. In what could only be described as a _kind_ face, Benjy's eyes were bright, accompanied by an essential wide grin, and the deep silky touch of his tone. His mannerism were warm and welcoming that exuded the comfortable space for expression. One could not go wrong befriending Benjy Fenwick.

Why his friendship had been wasted on someone as dry and withdrawn as Marlene McKinnon, was one of Hogwarts top mysteries—right next to the vanishing washroom on the third floor.

A smug expression began to form on his playful face before adding: "It's been boring without your snide commentary."

"Oh, I don't know." Marlene drawled, "I thought I'd let you learn to fend for yourself." Her words, that were usually laced with her weak venom, did not come close to penetrating Benjy's skin.

He sat up chuckling. "No, but honestly. I haven't properly heard from you in two weeks. I began worrying after two letters had gone by and you didn't bring up the ethical use of Mandrake roots in Potion-making _once_."

"They resemble humans!"

" _Yes_ , but it's just the root."

"Sometimes potioneers don't take _just_ the root."

"I recognize this tree." Benjy chimed.

"I've walked this path." Marlene glared.

There was a beat of silence and as the leaves above them rustled, a large smile began to form on Benjy's kind face.

"See? I missed this." Benjy leaned back against the gazebo.

Marlene wrinkled her forehead annoyed, "You're easily amused for a Ravenclaw."

"Ah! Fantastic! I'll begin the daily tally of how many times you've used that insult."

Marlene couldn't help but let the side of her lips tug. "Dirk is right—and you know it pains me to say that. But you are rather masochistic for being my friend."

Benjy scrunched his face in mock thought. "I like to think of it as training for the real world." Then he broke out in his usual wide grin. "If the real world lacked any decorum for my feelings."

Marlene tossed the pillow she once held towards his head, but he managed to dodge it. Benjy's laughter rippled through the gazebo, across the backyard, and into the kitchen where Edmund's brown eyes were fixated. He watched the exchange intently through the kitchen window above the sink. It might have been the intrinsic need to be actively doing something, but Edmund had begun washing the dishes as he watched.

"Dishes the Muggle way, Edmund?" a weary voice asked behind him. Edmund, too invested in the scene in front of him, did not afford the time to jump. If he had to say, and he didn't mean to brag by thinking it, but years camping inside the deepest tombs of Egypt had trained his apprehensive senses. But that was neither here nor there.

His mother moved next to him and set down her empty teacup.

"Hmm." Edmund hummed and began rinsing off his fourth plate before absentmindedly setting it down with the rest. Marta McKinnon turned her attention to what grasped Edmund's attention so tightly.

"Oh, Benjy's here. How nice." Marta offered, her tone not once changing from its monotonous nature.

"What do we know about him?" Edmund reached for a skillet coated in grease and grim.

Marta frowned. She folded her silk sleeved arms and turned her attention fully to the pair under the gazebo. "You know the Fenwicks' son. He's been around since Marlene started Hogwarts."

"Of course, Little Fenwick." Edmund said under his breath. The checklist reeling over and over in his head.

"I wouldn't say _little_ , Edmund." She looked down to the fierce scrubbing and placed a hand on his arm to stop.

"How old is he now?" Edmund stopped the incessant destruction of the skillet. His hands were now covered in brown soap and black flecks of the pan's once protective coating.

"He's about to come of age end of September—" The sudden clatter of the skillet against the sink caused Marta to jump slightly. Her frown deepened and her dark eyebrows lightly knitted. "Honestly, Edmund."

"And they've been spending time together _every_ summer?" Edmund managed to pull his attention away from the window to his mother's presence. The tense feeling in his chest returned as he waited for his mother's reply. He watched her worn and lined face, her own deep brown eyes staring back at his, calculating the reason for his eccentricity.

"I'd say so…" She started cautiously, "He's a decent boy. Ravenclaw family. Prefect. Charms Club President. I would say he's decent company for Marlene." With a flick of her wand the cup had rinsed and dried. She set it gently in its place within the cupboard.

"And," Edmund began with his full attention on his mother, "you wouldn't say its concerning?"

Marta's brow furrowed, "I would expect more from Marlene than having trivial distractions." Without the chance to further press the issue, because Edmund was not the type to openly admit he didn't have all the information he needed to formulate an answer, Marta left a concerned Edmund in the kitchen to his own thoughts.

Edmund turned his attention back to the window where his once _little_ sister sat talking animatedly to the young wizard he had now confidently classified as dangerous.

Marlene's eyes danced up the length of the house. She looked to the specific window and balcony she knew housed Sirius Black every summer. Her stomach sank as her gaze fell on his heavily curtained window. Marlene pictured him, like a feral cat, pacing the confines of his room. The guilt began creeping up her neck once more. She debated telling Benjy about the night Sirius apparated and risked his life. About his father's impromptu appearance in an effort to "collect" him, the altercation, and the sinking feeling in her gut every time she thought about Sirius.

How could she begin explain?

 _By the way, Benjy. Remember one of the many people I've written off in my life? No, no, the top three. Sirius Black, yes. Well, I feel sorry for him and my anger towards him makes me feel sick about myself as a person now._

Marlene had spent much of her energy and time at Hogwarts avoiding and complaining about Sirius and James. Now, she was trying to find a way to deal with the guilt of _despising_ someone so exposed.

"Uh… Mar?"

"I have to tell you something." She said quickly, but Benjy was not paying attention. His eyes were locked behind Marlene, past the backyard, and to the kitchen window. She followed his gaze and found Edmund's watchful stare. His brow furrowed and… _washing_ dishes?

"Wha—? Oh, Mother Rowena." Marlene glared, "Come on." She stood up and gestured for Benjy to follow her.

Benjy stood up hesitantly, "Where are we going?"

"I have to tell you something and _clearly_ ," she hissed under her breath and looked over her shoulder, "I can't do it here." She stepped out of the gazebo's protective shade and underneath the sun's warmth. Benjy followed Marlene to the back gate where she jostled the lock impatiently and stepped into the dunes of Point Coquille. Benjy did not dare look back, even as he closed the gate behind him. Instead he followed a determined Marlene through the dunes.

"Honestly," She shook her head in disbelief, "what has gotten into him?"

"Maybe he's bored?" Benjy offered. "Maybe he's finally realized having 'no friends' is _actually_ a con on his 'pro-con list'?"

The odd pair shuffled through the sand. The cry of the seagulls and the crash of the tide drowning out their laughter. Eventually, after a few minutes trudging through the sand, Marlene and Benjy settled on a grassy patch of sand. They were overlooking the busy shore and the calm sea that swayed the wobbling boats in the distance.

"As you were." Benjy said.

Marlene sighed deeply.

 _Come on. It'll be like undoing a_ Ferula _charm. Quick and painless._

"Sirius is here." A rush of adrenaline coursed through and she focused her attention to Benjy's reaction. His blue eyes were squinting against the sunlight.

"Well…he's normally here in the summer. That's not… new?" Benjy coughed and fidgeted uncomfortably against the sand. "Hence, my much needed presence in your desperate letters." He tried to offer a smile, but it faltered miserably under Marlene's discomfort.

It was odd, but something inside Marlene felt disappointed that Benjy was not more interested in her reveal. Marlene bit her lip and brought her legs up to her chest.

" _Right_ ," She began cautiously, "but, I don't think it's like every other summer."

Benjy remained silent.

 _Seriously?_

From the shore a chorus of giggling teenagers and the happy squeal of a child was heard.

The odd pair remained unfazed.

"Uh… I think he's…he's run away." Marlene cleared her throat. She looked down to her pale hands and picked at her fingernails. The same hands that trembled helplessly at the sight of Sirius' once unconscious figure.

Benjy stayed silent and looked highly interested in the blades of grass he had been picking.

The squealing of a child again.

Marlene tossed him an expectant look.

"Well?"

"Uh…well, what?" Benjy cleared his throat and looked up at her feigning confusion.

Marlene narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Cause uh…Drusila Flint has already…sort of… told everyone at the Cavern?" Benjy looked up sheepishly at Marlene. He winced automatically as if waiting for the scolding.

Marlene's jaw slacked. "Drusila Flint? Why are you talking to _Drusila Flint_? She's such a gossip." She spat the name out as if she had just tasted something foul.

"Well, I was bored!" He tossed his hands up along with a few blades of grass. "And she sat down at my table at the clubhouse. I was eating with Dirk and Nigel Davies (Marlene made a noise of disapproval). She just started going on and on if we had 'heard the news'. Obviously we hadn't and she knew that, because she takes us as a couple of swots." Benjy rolled his eyes. "She's told half our year by now."

Marlene shot an incredulous look at The Cavern down the stretch of the shore. Hoping somehow Drusila Flint could sense the heat of her indignation and choke on her bread roll.

"Then why hadn't you said anything?" she snapped suddenly very annoyed with Benjy's faux naïveté. If she had another pillow she would be aiming it at Benjy's head right now.

" _Because_." He whined loudly. "I didn't want you to think I only came over to see if it was true."

It might've been the sun working its promise, but Benjy's cheeks reddened.

Marlene wrinkled her nose in distaste. She leaned back on the palms of her hands.

"That Drusila Flint." She huffed. "What did she say?"

Benjy looked up cautiously from his army of grass blades. "Well, mostly that her cousin had gone over after Sirius had already taken off and his mother was absolutely livid. Going on about her nerves and blasting him off the family tree." Benjy finished quietly and his own eyes drifted to the direction of the house.

"Right." Marlene sighed and frowned at the detail of the family tree. "Anything else the daft bimbo elaborated on?"

Benjy shook his head.

Marlene frowned. "Well, it gets worse."

Benjy's thick dark eyebrows knitted. "How much worse does it get after _disowned_?" His voice had dropped and his tone laced with concern.

Marlene sighed. "He got here two weeks ago looking absolutely battered. He looked like the sea had spat him out. He _apparated_ here." And then with a jolt of realization Marlene turned her attention away from Benjy's shocked expression. Her eyes ran up and down the stretch of the coast as if looking for the imprint of a disowned wizard that couldn't be washed away. A taped off zone by Hit-Wizards, sanctioning off the area for investigation. Something like that couldn't so easily disappear.

"He _what_?"

Marlene nodded slowly and tore her eyes away from the bright shore.

"He ended up splinching." Benjy's jaw slacked and suddenly Marlene was wishing that she didn't have to be recounting this story. Suddenly, she regretted her earlier disappointment in Benjy's lack of reaction. In that moment, Marlene wished the events had ended at Benjy's knowledge.

But it hadn't.

So, Marlene kept talking.

"Mr. Potter treated him immediately. So, he's going to be fine, but—"

" _There's more?_ " Benjy looked flabbergasted. His army of grass blades abandoned as he turned to sit facing Marlene, his legs crossed over the one another. His light blue shorts were coated now with sand and grass blades. Her stomach turned at the memory of Orion Black. The haunting gaunt of his aged face, the scarily familiar eyes and smugness.

"Orion Black showed up. He was… not so friendly. They got into it… physically that is." She trampled over her words. The night's events began replaying and she projected them down on the white sand. "He was trying to get Sirius to come back home, but Mrs. and Mr. Potter were asking him to leave. Black wasn't going anywhere and the Potters didn't seem to think it best for Sirius to leave. Mr. Black finally left after he cursed Sirius."

 _I won't forget this, Potter._

Regardless of the hot July sun beating down on Marlene, she felt a shiver travel its way up her spine. If she thought hard enough she could almost hear the slam of the front door.

Benjy's expression had transitioned from mortified to deep concern.

"Is he okay?" He asked. His blue eyes darted to the direction of the house again as if it would give him the answer.

"He is for now. Physically, at least." Marlene murmured since she knew very little after the first night.

The Ravenclaw's gaze was unmoving from the crashing tide.

The Gryffindor anxiously twisted at her fingers.

In the silence they digested the information they had just shared with one another. Marlene's eyes flickered over to The Cavern every so often, trying to make out the tiny figures in the distance.

The familiar guilt revisited Marlene, the entire reason she had trusted telling Benjy.

"Do you think I'm absolutely rotten for giving Sirius such a hard time?" The words tumbled out of her before she could stop.

Her stomach shrunk. Was she that bad of a person as people thought of her?

Benjy tore his gaze away from sea to look at her confused. As if he had misunderstood the question completely Benjy blinked quickly.

"What?"

"You know, for constantly being annoyed with Sirius and James. For wanting to start petitions to get the Dense Duo expelled. For _calling_ them the 'Dense Duo'. I mean, even talking about it now makes me angry at him. Yet at the same time, now I feel completely rotten for not…knowing." She began plucking at the blades of grass nervously. Benjy wouldn't lie. He couldn't lie. It was obvious just now how much of a rubbish liar he was.

"Well, you have valid reasons dislike him, Mar." Benjy shook his head. "And some… not so valid." He held his hands up in defence as she opened her mouth to object.

"Let me finish here before you turn me into a Mandrake and sell me to highest bidding potioneer. I'm not Team Black, by any means. He's a tosspot to people sometimes. _But_ I'm also not … Team Anti-Black. You see, sometimes he can be a fair bloke. And the people he's rubbish to are people like Snape." Benjy scrunched up his face in distaste at the name.

Somehow Benjy's grey area reasoning did the opposite of putting Marlene at ease.

"The thing is…" She began slowly, "ever since I saw what _happened_ to him I've been feeling… guilty. I almost feel sorry for him."

"Well, feeling sorry for him would probably piss him off. So, you'd be winning there." Benjy grinned.

"I'm serious!"

"No, he is."

This earned Benjy an impatient glare from Marlene's behalf. With a deep sigh Benjy composed himself. He grew serious with one last glance in the direction of the house. Benjy then scratched his chin in the usual way he did when he seemed to be trying to form his thought in the most coherent eloquent way he could muster.

"Look, Mar, I get it. You just saw one of the three people you dislike the most be… human. All of a sudden there's this revelation for their nasty behaviour. But that doesn't _excuse_ their behaviour." He was looking at the sea as if he were analysing an Arithmancy chart. "I once heard that, eventually people have to decide if they want to be victims of their own circumstances. You can't use this as a 'forgive-all' for Sirius' _attitude_ , and guilt yourself for being angry at him or even disliking him. It's like the Goblin's Rebellion we learned about in—"

"Benjy."

"No, no! Hear me out." He was still absolutely serious. "Urg the Unclean had his reasons for hating wizards—Even though he studied them and understood their reasons for denying Goblins the right to wand use. It didn't mean he needed to change his opinion on how he felt. If anything, he understood wizards better to make his own decision."

Marlene's stoic and unamused face stared back at him. Slowly, Benjy's smile returned.

There was a rustle of silence. A tussle between seagulls fighting over abandoned bread crumbs. The loud crash of a rolling wave.

"It's not like you could have known it was _this_ bad for him. We always knew something was funny and _different_ with his family, but..." Benjy exhaled and shook his head dismissing the thought. He offered Marlene a small smile. She nervously chewed the inside of her cheek. "You've known _Edmund_ you're entire life and he's one of the _Top Three_."

"You're right. I can't be feeling guilty for disliking him. It doesn't excuse him from messing up my Astronomy charts last term." She hissed remembering the anger she had felt that April morning.

Benjy chuckled. "Right. But—"

"But what?" Marlene whined impatiently.

"But you could use this as an opportunity to not judge everything he does so harshly. Maybe we should practice some of that _tolerance_ stuff we talked about." Benjy grinned.

Marlene pursed her lips harshly before she said anything rash.

She relaxed finger fingers against the mess of grass blades she had made. She thought of the difficult task up ahead and mentally groaned: giving Sirius Black the benefit of the doubt.

"What do you reckon they argued about?" Benjy asked softly amidst their silence.

Marlene didn't get the chance to voice her suggestion or ignorance on the matter.

The angry cry of the once happy squeal of the baby.

The loud disagreement among the teenagers playing a Muggle sport.

"Now, this is an odd sight."

The new voice had come from behind them causing both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor to visibly tense. Marlene and Benjy shared a quick glance before turning to face the new comer. Their eyes settled on a tall and stately dressed man. His curly mane was tamed and smoothed over elegantly. A thick and groomed black goatee lined his mouth and chin. A half-smile tugged at his lips as he stared down at the pair. Marlene shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his gaze. She turned to look at Benjy one last time after a moment of confused silence. Neither had been able to claim the mystery person's greeting.

"I'm sorry?" Marlene asked.

The man turned his eyes down to the sand for a second, the charming smile on his face growing. He shook his head and locked eyes with Marlene for an instant. She sat up straighter and tried to focus on the centre of his nose instead. Marlene noticed how incredibly green his eyes were in sunlight and just how much more intimidating they became. She wasn't sure she had ever seen eyes that green.

"You're looking at me as if you don't remember me, Ms. McKinnon. I have to admit that stings a tad."

Marlene blinked quickly and looked over to Benjy who remained visibly tense. His own eyes attempting to decipher the new presence. Unsure of what to say and growing uncomfortable of his gaze, Marlene squinted against the sunlight. She was trying to place his face to any event in her life, but she kept coming up blank. She would be certain she would remember eyes like his.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you." Marlene said tentatively.

The wizard chuckled. "We spoke at the Scrofungulus Awareness Banquet this past December. I was accidentally seated at your table and you had quite a bit to say on _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms_. Interesting topic, but talked my ear off."

Marlene almost jumped to her feet at the sudden realization. An intense warmth flooded her already pink face. The cold December night and the memory of the familiar intimidating green eyes came back to her all at once, flooding her mind.

"Oh!" She made to stand up and a very quiet Benjy followed. She dusted herself off bashfully and stood up straight. She mentally scolded herself for having been so permissive. "Forgive me, of course." And she felt her stomach drop as she reached another blank crevice in her mind.

 _The name._

 _What was his name?_

The wizard tilted his head as he waited in silence, watching her chew nervously on her lower lip before he laced hands behind his back. He nodded in understanding.

"For the sake of it. I'll say my name to wind. Duke Travers." He grinned

The recurrence of the same emotion of realization had begun to exhaust Marlene. Her brown eyes snapped open and she was certain he began chuckling with vigour. Her cheeks and tips of her ears were now stinging from embarrassment.

"Of course! Of course. I'm terrible with names. Please, forgive me."

"That's fine. It was quite a while back. I can't assume that night was as interesting to everyone else as it was to me." Duke shrugged.

"I never thought of the Scrofungulus community as stimulating bunch." Benjy's cool voice broke the silence of his presence.

Duke turned to look at Benjy and offered him a small smile before focusing fully on Marlene. His green eyes took her in once more and watched as she fidgeted tensely. He smiled and Marlene felt her stomach immediately knot up.

"I'm happy to see your family has chosen to take up resident at Point Coquille again, but I wouldn't expect any different."

Marlene smiled nervously, unsure of what to say, "We try to come out for a bit every summer."

"My family is also here for the summer. We just got in actually. I was taking a walk when I recognized you." He shrugged, "I just thought it'd be impolite not to say 'hello'. You were by far the most interesting conversation I had that night."

"You're too kind." Marlene shook her head defensively.

"I insist." Duke said. He quickly turned to look over his shoulder to the culmination of Point Coquille's holiday homes in the distance beyond the dunes. "I'm afraid I need to get going, Ms. McKinnon. It's been a pleasure running into you." He nodded both to Marlene and Benjy before heading in the direction of Point Coquille's village.

The tight knot in Marlene's stomach eased slightly and she looked to a quizzical Benjy. Wordlessly, in the awkward air they had been sucked into, they both began the quiet trek back to the house.

Softly, into the silence, Benjy whispered: "His name is _Duke_?"

A sputter of giggles and snorting erupted from the odd pair.

In that moment, if Edmund had been able to sneak a disapproving glance as Marlene leaned on Benjy for support, he would have had to admit that he had been sorely misguided. He would have realized that his Observe and Approach checklist would light up with check marks. Edmund's apprehension had been steered at the wrong species.

But Edmund never was a good judge of character.

After all, it was hard to see who was setting the fire when you're clouded by the smoke.

 _Cold._

 _Her feet were bare against the freezing stone and snow._

 _She had bent down towards the heavily snow covered ground. Her raw red hands were gathering the white powder desperately._

 _She took a large bite._

 _Cold._

 _She opened her eyes and the once white powdery snow was caked in brown filth._

 _Her hands released the mound immediately._

 _She sputtered and felt sick._

 _She looked around for anything wipe her mouth with._

 _Marlene stood frozen._

 _In front of her was the dark mouth of a cave._

 _She couldn't see anything. Then suddenly—a flash of green._

 _She stepped closer. Then suddenly – a flash of green_

 _Marlene's raw frozen feet edged closer to the opening._

 _Black. Pitch Black._

 _All except for piercing green eyes staring back at her._

 _A clatter._

She startled awake. A gasp caught in her throat. She blinked around furiously in the dark room. She half expected the eyes to be staring back at her. There was an impatient lurch in her stomach at the thought. Marlene's mind was still caught in the vulnerable limbo between asleep and awake. Slowly, she realized she had in fact fallen asleep in the living room again. Her shivering was due to the gaping window behind her. Marlene made to sit up to close it—

A clatter.

She froze.

The same clatter from her dream.

Her hand reached instinctively inside the couch cushions for her wand. It's smooth warmth familiar and reassuring in her grasp. Marlene stayed still and strained her ears in the darkness. Her eyes traced the weak outlines of the room and waited for the sound. Her brain tugged between needing to hear it again, to assure herself of her sanity, but praying she wouldn't out of fear for her safety.

As soon as her grasp on the wand relaxed the clatter returned, and angrier than the last time. Marlene shot up and her brow furrowed. It was coming from the kitchen. She was positive. Her arm trembled as it held her wand before her and tiptoed into the foyer on quivering feet. She could see the light at the end of the hall coming from the kitchen.

Marlene held her breath.

 _I should probably go get someone._

 _This is how witches wind up dead._

She stared at the white wooden door. Had reason and sense absolutely abandoned her?

 _Maybe it's just a seagull that got in._

 _A garden gnome._

Or the green eyes.

Marlene wavered at the thought, taking an instinctive step away from the door as she heard shuffling. Her stomach twisted and choked back a gasp.

Suddenly, there was a loud string of curse words.

"Ah! Bugger all!"

In a spurt of nerve, with one swift movement, Marlene pushed the kitchen door open and pointed her wand straight in front of her. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Sirius Black, a heap on the floor, among a mess of scattered silverware and cutting boards. He flinched violently at Marlene's abrupt entrance and, keeping in tune with the unexpected that evening, the strangest thing unravelled before her bleary eyes.

Sirius Black began howling with laughter.

His eyes were tightly clenched as he tossed his head back, and only making the redness in his face more intense. Marlene heard the indisputable bark-like laughter that was Sirius', echoing throughout the still night of the kitchen. Confused, Marlene scrambled to close the door behind her to prevent his maniacal laughter to carry up the stairs and wake the entire house.

When did Sirius get in?

But she saw Mr. Potter and James come home from the match in low spirits? She gathered that Sirius had not tagged along and instead—

 _What was that smell?_

The staggering stench of sweat mingled with distilled spirits. The poor concoction of odour repelled Marlene's face in the opposite direction of Sirius. He was now trying to catch his breath as his laughter eased. Sirius made to sit up, but his hand slipped on a spoon, and landed him back in his crumpled position.

Sirius Black was properly sloshed.

A chorus of whiskey laughter.

An angry and impatient ' _shh!'_.

Marlene quickly retraced all the things she had done in her life. Yes, she had been rather hostile to Edmund growing up. No, her and Benjy did not start off on the best of terms. Maybe, she shouldn't have demanded the 'doe-eyed' Gryffindor prefect that she speak to Dumbledore so she could be resorted. Every other situation that Marlene could conjure in the span of seconds she pinned her damnation in defence of Sirius' and James' pestering attitude towards her.

So, no.

Marlene couldn't pin point what in the name of Rowena she could have done to deserve standing in her kitchen, at four in the morning, with a drunk Sirius Black.

A cold chill overcame her.

" _Shh!"_ Marlene shushed him impatiently once more. She looked down to the pile that was supposed to be Sirius Black and glared scandalized.

She contemplated going to get James, but then she risked Sirius' unpredictable drunken antics waking up the whole house. A fear inside her awoke with a sudden realization that it might not be James or the Potters to find Sirius if she abandoned him. Instead, the image of Edmund or her parents stumbling across a drunken Sirius on their way to breakfast that morning was enough to make her act on impulse. She did not want to spend the rest of her summer with her parents debating their stay at Point Coquille

"Quiet!" Marlene hissed nervously. She was now gathering the silverware off the floor and into a drawer. Her plan of action was to get any obstacles out of legless-Sirius' way and then deal with the drunk Gryffindor. Marlene tried holding her breath whenever she was anywhere near Sirius. She was certain that when Benjy had discussed _tolerance,_ this was not what he had had in mind.

Sirius had grown quiet now, as he laid on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, and his eyes shut. He'd groan or mumble every so often indicating signs of consciousness. Marlene would be lying if she didn't have the urge every so often to 'accidentally' step on his face.

 _How much did he drink_?

" _Completely_ irresponsible." The heat at the back of her neck was back. Typical. Sirius had once again acted recklessly and out of decorum and now she was trying not to get swept into the whirlwind of disaster that could come from it. Fuming, she set the cutting board and tea box back on the counter. Marlene turned her attention down to Sirius. His arm was draped over his eyes and he had been mumbling the past few minutes. She glowered.

"Black."

Grumbling.

"Black."

A twitch.

"Sirius!" She pushed into his side with her barefoot. Sirius recoiled from its touch and in a reflex, his hand swung up and caught Marlene by the ankle. Shocked, she let out a squawk and caught the counter next to her for support.

"What?" He asked annoyed.

Marlene shook her foot vigorously, the panic began rising to her chest. "Let go!" She hissed.

Sirius removed his arm from over his eyes and looked up at Marlene through unfocused and bleary eyes. He looked down to the arm that was shaking and found the source. He took in the sight of her foot in his grasp, her frantic shaking and panicked expression. She watched his face contort into pure mirth as another chorus of laughter emerged from deep inside of him. Marlene restrained herself from putting her now freed foot in his mouth, but instead pushed him harshly with her foot once more—all docility lost.

"You're going to wake up the entire house. _Shut. It._ " Her patience had thinned. Annoyed, she stepped around him trying to figure out the next step in her plan.

"Oh?" His voice now deep and silky. His head followed her movement. "But then how will they know you're having a good time?" His accent was remarkably thicker as the words slurred past his lips.

Marlene's train of thought shattered as she scowled down at Sirius. Her face pinched in disgust and her stomach lurched. She had heard him on multiple occasions over the years talk that way to girls in the common room or in corridors. But to hear his foul behaviour directed at her?

"You need to get up." She snapped.

"But I can't."

"Yes, you can and you _must_."

"I can't feel my leg…or…my body…" His hands came up to his face and they harshly flopped against it. "Is my face still here? On this Earth?" He sounded deeply concerned. And in a glimmer of weakness, Marlene had to purse her lips to stop herself from smiling.

"You're all here, Black. Now, _up_."

There was a pause of silence. She heard his ragged breathing.

"I need help." He sighed.

Marlene rolled her eyes and extended her hand, "Come on. Before someone hears and you get in trouble." Blindly, his hand flailed about in the air before finding her forearm and grasped on. In something Marlene could only recount as comedic gold, Sirius fumbled, stumbled, and groaned trying to regain function in his legs. She was reminded of one of her earliest memories of when an eight year old Edmund and her were playing in their grandparents backyard one spring. Edmund had been eager to show Marlene the tiny fawn near its mother doe taking its first steps. Although, the fawn had managed to take its first steps with far more poise.

Sirius held onto the counter for support, muttering something about whiskey. And Marlene could most certainly smell it.

Ugh.

"Now, _sit_." Marlene pushed him in the direction of the bar stool, "This might be nice and familiar for you." She muttered under her breath.

"You're so bossy." Sirius whined. He was having difficulty keeping his eyes open and his speech incoherent. He clutched onto the counter in front of him to stop himself from falling backwards.

She kept a watchful gaze on Sirius' swaying figure. Her nerves started kicking in realizing his unbelievably drunk state. What was she supposed to do now? She doubted she could heave him up the stairs herself? Just the stench of him would knock her out halfway to the stairs. Racking her brain for any knowledge on what to do with a _drunk_ , she remembered one New Year's coming home with her parents through Muggle Chester. The streets were filled with cheering people with bottles of alcohol at hand. One man in particular was so staggeringly drunk his friends were chasing him in every direction he stumbled to. One of his friends with the ginger hair had said impatiently:

" _Get some coffee in him."_

" _Let's stop by_ Nancy's _so we can get something in his system. Try to soak up all that vodka he's inhaled."_

In a spurt of energy, Marlene had begun to fill the French press with hot water from the tap. The smell of ground coffee immediately alleviated her senses from the Sirius' offensive stench. She hoped the coffee would hurry because Sirius' incoherent grumbling had steadily gotten louder.

"Quiet." Marlene snipped.

"See, again with the orders. Always with the _fucking_ orders." Sirius lazily snapped and pulled out his cigarette carton. Her tired eyed looked up the ceiling in search of patience or inspiration. She decided if the overwhelming need to strangle Sirius returned, she'd just have to go upstairs and wake James. Let him deal with his _stray_.She waited for the hot water to steep the coffee, and watched Sirius pat around his body for a few seconds. He turned to her annoyed and with a fag between his teeth. His eyes were incredibly heavy and she wondered if he could even see her.

"I can't find my light."

"I'll let the _Prophet_ know in the morning."

"Give me a light."

"I don't smoke."

Dead air.

"What do you mean you don't smoke?"

Marlene's teeth clamped down on her tongue and turned around, busying herself with the coffee. She would not engage with a belligerently drunk Sirius Black. She approached the island counter top with a steaming mug of coffee. Sirius stared down at it as if she had just presented him with Bubotuber pus. His eyes looked to her with deep concern.

"Did you poison it?"

 _Did she—_

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Hurry up and drink."

"You poisoned it." He sounded convinced and his grey unfocused eyes grew wide.

Her patience had been shaved thin. It was four in the morning and she was exhausted. It hadn't occurred to her that dealing with an egotistical person in their intoxicated state would be more challenging than when sober. She should have gotten James immediately instead of trying to immediately trying to solve a problem that clearly was not hers. Marlene was not built to deal with drunken arrogant people she did not get on with.

"Stuff it." Marlene snapped. "Drink it. Don't drink it. I could _not_ care less what you get up to, Black. If you pass out down here and someone finds you then I guess I'm going back to Chester for the rest of the summer. Leave it up to _you_ and your _reckless_ behavior to ruin it for everyone else just because _you cannot control yourself_! I'm going to bed." Marlene made to move from her spot on the counter, but Sirius' ruthless laughter had once again managed to crawl underneath her skin. She felt her fingernails dig deep into her palms.

In the same way he had managed to do on multiple occasions, Sirius' boastful bark had established to Marlene that he had yet again won. Inebriated or sober, Sirius still succeeded in starting an angry fire deep in her core.

"It's too easy." He wheezed before taking a careless sip. Marlene watched in horror as the hot contents slopped down the front of Sirius' shirt. He hadn't reacted. He must have been so drunk he couldn't begin to react. Instead, Sirius made a disgusted noise from the back of his throat.

"Too strong."

"Drink."

And he did.

Marlene felt the events begin to take a toll on her. She thought of her soft bed upstairs and the sleep that waited her. Her mind was tired from having to deal with Sirius' childish and sloppy antics. The mess, the laughter, the slurring of incoherent conversation she mostly just nodded along to. In that moment she ruled out the option of children completely. No one can love this type of attitude unconditionally. No one.

Marlene had rinsed and dried the evidence of her sad excuse of handling the problem. She realized with much disappointment the coffee in the end had not done much except stop his slurring. The challenge to take Sirius out of the kitchen and up the stairs required a different plan all together than getting him to sit and drink coffee. He was too tired to keep talking or laughing and she was sure he was falling asleep as she tried to help him walk up the stairs. He did good for the most part, every now and then leaning against the railing for support. Once or twice it did seem he was going to tumble down. She had turned it into a game, telling him if he stepped on any step below the one he was on somewhere out there Snape was cheering for his defeat.

At his bedroom door, Marlene had turned his doorknob and a wave of awkwardness engulfed her senses. She had learned more information about Sirius than she needed in the short span of two weeks. She had been pushed to adapt a more tolerant attitude and now she was going to peer into his private quarters. In the past six summers that Sirius cohabitated with Marlene, never had she directly _looked_ , nonetheless, _stepped_ into his bedroom. The list kept increasing and piling was becoming far too intimate for her. When the door swung open, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it all seemed fairly normal. _Messy_ , but normal.

 _Oh, you mean he hasn't got hostages and a wall lined with plans for your future torment?_

Marlene made sure he had flopped directly onto his bed before closing the door quietly with a click. She leaned against the door and exhaled in relief. The muscles in her back immediately loosened.

Bed.

Down the hall.

So close.

"Sirius?"

Through the darkness, Marlene gazed in the direction of the new voice. She knew it was James who was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, right between hers and Sirius'. She could see from the outline of his messy hair and the croak in his voice he had been asleep.

"Uh… no." Marlene whispered back. If the darkness had not been so challenging to see past she would have noted the look of extreme confusion bordering on fear on James' face.

His jaw slacked, "Mar—Marlene?" He stuttered. James was a bit louder this time and it made Marlene swallow harshly. She glanced nervously down the hall where Edmund's bedroom was.

"Yes."

 _Patter._

 _Patter._

 _Creak._

The soft movement of James' bare feet against the hardwood came to a stop a few inches in front her. He was squinting without his glasses into the night. Their controlled breathing the only noise heard in the dead of the night.

"What—is he okay?" James asked.

"Uh…yeah. He's just—he's very drunk. I meant to get you, but I didn't think I could leave him alone." Marlene stammered.

If Marlene didn't know any better, she thought James would have smiled. Instead, he shook his head and sighed.

"But he's okay?"

Marlene's brow furrowed.

"He wasn't hurt. I didn't see any injuries, no."

James nodded.

"I—Uh, tried to give him some coffee. I wasn't sure what to do."

Now, Marlene was certain she could see James' confused expression.

 _No, I didn't poison him._

 _Git._

"Right. Well, that's—that's good. Normally, we just stop by a chips shop and eat until we're sick."

 _Charming_.

She was unsure why James thought he should share this information with her.

But she bit her tongue.

"Right." James nodded and squinted at Sirius' door. "Thanks, then."

"Mhmm." She nodded and made to move around him. The thought of her bed the only clear thing in her hazy mind.

"Uhm…Marlene?" James said suddenly, "Could you maybe not tell anyone? I know, it's a lot to ask and you didn't even have to go through all that trouble, but—I think …you know. He's… uhh... Just for now, could you maybe not say anything?"

Marlene hadn't thought about it until that moment. Not really. She had gone through the effort of covering their tracks and helping him get to bed undetected. The intense fear that her family would find them in that moment had been more pressing than what would happen if she told them what she had just done. A knot tightened in her stomach. What would happen if she told her parents what she had just done? She could almost conjure to life her mother's tightly pursed lips and her haughty silent treatment.

"Er…yeah. Sure."

James exhaled, "Thanks."

Marlene nodded before making her way down the hall to her bedroom. The comfort of her bed absolved her mind immediately of the smell of drunken adversaries, her stern family's disappointment, and dreams of haunting green eyes.

 _Well_.

For now.

* * *

 _Some had scars and some had scratches_

 _It made me wonder about their past_

 _And as I looked around I began to notice_

 _That we were nothing like the rest_

 _Mountain Sound_ – Of Monsters and Men


	5. The Cavern

**A/N:** You guys are possibly the sweetest readers/reviewers that ever existed. The times I did get a review or a reblog I was over the moon for the rest of the day. It really inspired and pushed me to keep writing—especially during the difficult parts! Sometimes I would find myself really demotivated and discouraged and your commentary and presence is reassuring. Even the critique that may come from it, I honestly appreciate it! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and overall entertainment with this story! And thank you for your patience. I know Marlene and Sirius finally had some interaction, before I tugged the carpet from under your feet! I know it was long awaited and I couldn't have imagined any other way of breaking the ice with the mess they are. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 **PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Five**

The Cavern

"How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?"

 **July 20** **th** **, 1976**

 _ **HOLYHEAD HARPIES DISCOVER AND USE PUDDLMORE UNITED'S ONLY WEAKNESS**_

" _Beat back those bludgers, boys, and chuck that penalty here!" the Holyhead Harpies fans sang into the night during the deciding game of the season for Puddlmore United. After a foul play between Harpies seeker, Jeanine Jones, and Puddlemore's beater, Quincy Thomson, the Harpies took home the victory. They secured themselves a place in the quarter finals to try and bring home the European Quidditch League Cup. Puddlemore said good night to a tough season after Thomson's bad shoulder—_

"Bullocks." James hissed and his muesli flew onto the _Daily Prophet_ in front of him.

"James, have you been listening to a word I've been saying?" Euphemia's called testily.

"Yeah, something about—Oh! Come on!" His eyes caught sight of the photographed penalty shot. As soon as James spotted it, it was now vanished in a crumpled head under Euphermia's worn and firm fist. James glanced up to identical hazel eyes.

Stern and annoyed hazel eyes.

James swallowed his mouthful of muesli harshly.

"James."

"Mum."

Euphemia stood back and gave James an impatient look. Her black eyebrows shot to her greying hairline and her lips pursed. A look that said: _Would you like to try that again?_

James gave a defeated sigh and he folded up the wrinkled newspaper. He turned to his waiting mother with as much attention he could afford that morning. The thought of Quincy Thomson's bad shoulder was still lingering at the forefront of his brain.

"I'm all ears, mum."

"I said, your father has a meeting with the Potioneers Ethics Board today. While he's there, Egbert and I will be at the Ministry sorting out some paperwork over Sirius' underage use of magic."

James' brow furrowed, "Is he in trouble?"

Euphemia shook her head, "No. Egbert and I are sure we can have it overlooked… _considering_."

James nodded knowingly.

"And since your father and I are making a case for temporary guardianship, it might actually take longer than just a trip to the Improper Use of Magic Office."

"Why only temporary?" James frowned. Euphemia took a deep breath and set aside her mug of tea.

"If we were to petition for full guardianship the process will take longer and with far more complications. We'd be looking at a full trial, going to the Wizengamot for months at a time, and petitioning to foster Sirius throughout the case. Since Sirius is coming of age in November, Egbert thinks the best way is to ask for partial or temporary guardianship. This was Sirius will stay with us and the process will be faster. Not to mention, we have the _incident_ to back our petition." Euphemia scowled, "This way we won't drag out a legal battle we know the Blacks will fight us on. Egbert and I thought the best solution is to put Sirius in a sort of guardian-limbo until he turns of age. We'll put the process in motion until November when Sirius is of age and then has no obligation to return to Grimmauld Place."

James let out a low whistle, "Can't say I envy your day." He took another spoonful out of his bowl and chewed thoughtfully. "Thoo, why are 'oo 'elling me 'ith?" Euphemia gave him a pointed look for his display of chewed food.

"I'm telling you this," she picked up his fallen crumbs and tossed them back in his bowl, "because you lot will be home all day with no one except Edmund and well..." Euphemia gave James a knowing look. James snickered to himself behind his spoon.

"Yeah, alright." James tried to stop his snickering, "Better chances of communicating with the wallpaper in case of an emergency." Euphemia tucked her lips in tightly to stop the growing smile, but the bouncing of her chest betrayed her. James watched his mother take a quick glance around the kitchen to make sure the Ravenclaw was nowhere in earshot.

"Right." Euphemia composed herself, "Just, the two of you haven't left this house since we got here. The universe feels wonky that I haven't gotten twenty owls about your code violations down at The Cavern. "

James shifted uncomfortably in his bar stool.

"I don't think Sirius is quite ready…" He set his spoon down with a heavy sigh.

His hazel eyes followed the motion of his mother's wand. Her mug began dancing its way over to the sink where it soaped and rinsed itself.

"First, he doesn't go to the match with you and your father." Euphemia began, "Then, he refuses to come downstairs or _leave_ that room. Except for when he scampers off into the night—yes, of course I know, James." His mother exhaled in aggravation. James flinched at her frustration. Somewhere in his gut he felt a similar frustration rear its head.

Sirius had managed to make a habit of running off into the dark of night and returning in the early hours of the morning. Anytime James had attempted bringing it up all he ever got was a harsh: "Just _out_ , Prongs."

It's not to say that Sirius' attitude was _beginning_ to aggravate James, but Sirius' attitude was definitely beginning to ride on James' last nerve. It was high time Sirius at least tried talking to James again and stop treating him like Frankie First Year. James would sit for hours tossing random conversation around Sirius' room (which was beginning to steadily smell like the inside of a cigarette carton). James didn't want to push or make Sirius feel uncomfortable, but now his midnight escapades were making James feel like he was somewhat losing his best mate. When it would normally be James and him sneaking out the back gate, now only Sirius stumbled back drunk and alone.

Sirius needed time, James understood that. But the longer it dragged on, the more it seemed like Sirius didn't want things to go back to normal.

"Hmm." James simply tossed about the leftover contents in his bowl. Suddenly, his appetite had disappeared.

"Since we're not here to make sure you two don't starve, go down to The Cavern. Enjoy the most of the weather—Oh! Have lunch in the Sunroom!" Euphemia added with such sudden vigour that James' bowl floated out of his reach and into the sink. Bowl, spoon, and mug danced about the sink.

"Mum," James started uneasily, "I don't think that's a good idea. He's not ready to walk into a room of judgey witches and wizards and be socially dissected."

The lightness in Euphemia's nature disappeared and she gazed at him sternly. James resisted rolling his eyes as he saw the familiar stance he'd seen in action so many times on the Wizengamot floor.

 _Oh no._

"Sirius is never going to be ready, James." Euphemia said in that smooth diplomatic tone. "People are never going to stop talking and gossiping. If it's not this time, it'll be the next. This community just made things for Sirius just got a lot harder, and for no reason. And I know he's stronger than the fear of what people will have to say about him. You don't plant dungbombs in a full dining room because you're scared people will find out it's you." She gave James a pointed look. "These people have always assumed and made their own judgements before the whole incident and what had it done? Nothing. Their words can't touch him. And just as their words hadn't touched him before, he'll be more than fine now. Because now... now, he gets to come home to people who love him. He just has to realize it first."

James wish he still had the spoon his hand so he could at least have something to focus his attention on. Defeated, he looked up to his mother's sombre face and nodded.

"Blimey, mum. How long have you been rehearsing that one?" He shot her a sly grin.

"Can't have Remus and Peter coming and you lot not sabotage the annual Gobstones Tournament." Euphemia added lightly before ruffling James' hair affectionately. The seriousness in her face had vanished as quickly as it came. He pulled away from her touch and scowled.

James now needed to concoct a plan to convince Sirius to step into a pit of snakes.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do—but not for you!" James added hastily with a warning finger, "But because I've been thinking about their steak pie since December." He made to stand up and make towards the exit when he heard the horrifying statement leave his mother's mouth.

"Fantastic. Then the three of you will have lunch in the sun room—"

Like a Bludger to the gut.

The Quaffle James thought was so protectively and comfortably tucked in his grip had been weaselled out from under him without even noticing. The supporters on Euphemia's side of the stands were raving over the impressive play.

"Excuse me?" James choked. "I must be mistaken because thought I just heard you say…the _three_ of us?"

A subtle panic began rising to his chest and he turned his large hazel eyes to watch his mother. Euphemia was avoiding his gaze as she began busying herself with the recently washed dishes.

"Yes," She smiled sweetly, "You, Sirius, and Marlene."

James' stomach sank faster than if he were taking a sharp dive on his broom.

" _Mum_." He began testily.

"Oh, James." Euphemia exhaled, suddenly very exasperated, "Don't give me that face. The poor girl lives with her nose in that book your father gave her. She's barely left the house."

" _No!_ " James interjected hastily. He could feel the fear expanding over his chest of having to entertain a full day of McKilljoy. "There is a _reason_ I avoid being in the same room as her."

"You're being dramatic."

"No, I am _not_." James stood up and his hands shot up in desperation.

"Yes, you are. You're being dramatic just like your father."

"And you're changing the subject!"

" _James_ —"

"Mum, there is a reason she keeps to herself as well. It's not just me. I can guarantee you this will be _just_ as much as a death sentence to her as it is to me."

Euphemia pursed her lips in an effort not to laugh. James could feel the heat rising to his ears now.

"You're not dramatic?" She quipped lightly.

"Mum."

Then, with an air of finality, Euphemia shook her head, "James. She spends every summer with us, the most you can do is extend some kindness. Honestly, it's as if the two of you were still ten." She turned her stern hazel eyes to James. "I'll know if she didn't go with you. I'll ask her how far she's read."

"It wouldn't make a difference. I read that book last summer and it took me two days." James muttered under his breath before softly kicking the side of the counter. He reminded himself of a petulant child. His mother had managed to transport him ten years back as he stood pouting in the middle of the kitchen and pleading not to spend time with the McKinnons.

"Marlene is invited and that's final."

"Correction: _forced upon_."

James let out a loud indignant groan and just as his mother was about to exit the kitchen—

"Good morning."

Both Potters turned to look at the new arrival. A slightly dishevelled, bleary-eyed Marlene had just entered the kitchen. James' jaw clenched and he resisted rolling his eyes. An entire afternoon with that stoic and superior look on her face staring back at him and Sirius.

"Ah! Good morning, Marlene." Euphemia smiled warmly as she adjusted her purse's strap over her shoulder, "I was just telling James what a great day it is for the three of you to have lunch in the sunroom."

It had been worth it at least, James thought, to see the same flicker of dread cross Marlene's tired face. She composed herself quickly as she crossed the kitchen to the kettle.

"Don't you agree, dear?"

James stared at his mother in slight-awe. He had doubted his rambunctious nature could ever come from Euphemia Potter, a stately and well put together witch of the Wizengamot. But in moments like these, the way she smoothly took advantage of Marlene's polite nature, it was clear James had not come to be so mischievous on his own.

Marlene fumbled with the kettle and blinked a few times, "Well, y-yes."

James stopped himself from audibly groaning.

 _Fantastic._

Euphemia beamed before checking her wrist watch, "Brilliant! Have the steak pie. I hear it's quite memorable."

James shot his mother an dirty look from the corner of his eye.

"I'm off now, James." Euphemia leaned over and pecked James' messy downturned head before he pulled away grimacing.

"You're no longer my favourite." He whispered hurriedly under his breath and watched a smooth smirk tug at her worn coloured lips.

Silence.

Tense silence.

James fidgeted uncomfortably. He thought of bolting out of the kitchen without a mention of what his mother had just orchestrated, but then Marlene caught his eye and it was clear. The look shared between the two Gryffindors said more than either of them would ever need to say.

They'd rather be battling for their lives against the Giant Squid.

James felt his insides harden when he familiarized Marlene's indifferent air. In an impulse, before his aggravation got the better of him, James left the kitchen with a far more gruelling chore ahead.

Convince Sirius to leave the house in broad daylight and into the pit of snakes.

The task ahead of James required him to oil the tired and worn out wheels of devious scheming. He had paced the backyard for the better half of an hour with his brow wrinkled in deep thought. The gold wings of the snitch would flutter near his ear tauntingly before zooming around.

SWIPE.

The smooth and quick flutter of the snitch's wings was disrupted.

A game plan.

One. Infiltrate quickly.

 _Creeek!_

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

"What a _brilliant_ day!"

The _swish_ of a curtain.

Bright light.

A loud and dazed groan.

Two. Offense.

"I've just woken up with this _dying_ need for steak pie."

He bounced ecstatically around Sirius' very dark room and caused as much commotion as he needed to in order to rouse Sirius.

' _Accidentally'_ knocking into Sirius' nightstand.

 _Yelling_ an apology about his carelessness.

Picking up after Sirius while talking passionately about Puddlemore's loss.

Three. Defence. SWARM.

James gathered all Sirius' dirty clothes before tossing them over his head.

That had done it.

"Alright! Enough, Prongs!"

Which is how James found himself in his current predicament. He was firmly wedged between the heat of Sirius' annoyance and Marlene's chill indifference. No one uttered a syllable the entire walk to The Cavern. Usually, Sirius and James would be whispering back and forth to one another, just barely enough for Marlene to strain her hearing, and revel in her aggravation. Now, James' sole form of entertainment was his trained sight on the bobbing of Marlene's carelessly pinned hair. It was an attempt to distract his senses from the intense smell of tobacco mingling with the sea breeze.

Sirius.

A bad mood.

A quiet defiance.

A dose of cigarette smoke.

He was steadily becoming less the 'Sirius' James knew and more the idea of who Sirius once was. Recently, this angry and vacant person was inhabiting his best friend. James noticed how much thinner, paler, and quieter Sirius had become. Instead of his usual boyish and spirited nature, his icy grey stare met James at the end of the staircase. The look was enough to guilt James into his own silent demeanour.

James had planned for an entire summer of Quidditch, sabotaging the annual Gobstones Tournament, and sneaking off to the muggle village in the dead of night. James was never much for planning and ultimately welcomed a challenge. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened that hot summer was no stranger to seeing his friends hurt or in danger—running around once a month with a werewolf would ease the process. But, there had been something about the unexpected state Sirius had appeared in his dining room that removed any notion of safety James had.

The only danger and hurt he ever knew of was in a planned and controlled setting.

Without a doubt he knew Remus would appear with new scars after every full moon. Once or twice the rest had emerged with a bruise—maybe even a scratch. But for some reason, it has never occurred to James that he and his friends could be hurt outside of their own terms. And that idea settled deep in his skin the moment Sirius blacked out against his shoulder. James would probably not easily admit it to anyone, but he had been terrified.

He found himself selfishly thinking of how he wished the old Sirius would return. The 'dark and ugly' was over. He was safe. And what they had always fantasized and joked about was true— Sirius was now a part of his home. But James had never expected it to come at a cost.

Maybe it was first child syndrome. The selfishness that possessed him to want Sirius to get on board immediately with his new life. Although he had grown up around Marlene and Edmund, James had never felt the bond he knew his own parents wish existed. He could never picture himself being friendly the way his own parents were with the McKinnons. As disappointing as that may have been, he had Sirius. And as far as he was concerned, he was his brother. He could not find it inside him to worry or concern himself with swotty and self-important Marlene McKinnon and he preferred it that way.

The unforgiving sun's heat beat down on them as they found their way to The Cavern. Beyond the muggle village of St. Ives and the cluster of Point Coquille homes, the large wooden and ivory structure loomed over the approaching Gryffindors.

James watched witches and wizards, familiar and not, weave in and out of the large entrance. The sun glistened brightly against the smooth ivory coloured granite steps. He squinted against the glare and adjusted his glasses in a poor attempt to minimize the intensity. Both Marauders followed Marlene's swift lead into the grand entrance hall. The cooling shade offering immediate relief among the three Gryffindors. Suddenly, Marlene's confident strides came to a full halt in the middle of the atrium. Confused, James turned to her for an answer to her abrupt change in pace.

Until the corner of the room caught his eye.

Although it had only been a year ago he had visited the clubhouse, he could vividly remember the corner where Sirius and he had set off dungbombs during their first summer together. If he concentrated hard enough, he was sure he could still hear the outraged cries of people. Then he saw the large potted plant where he hid from his mother's pent up tirade. This has been right after he shattered one of the windows in the Sunroom. At the centre of the atrium, the familiar intricate patterns of cream and brown marble slabs laid. He held back a snort— their third summer. They tricked Frederik Selwyn into drinking from a nose-biting teacup. Sirius and James had fled the dining room at high speed and slid over the freshly waxed floors. And if he wasn't mistaken, in the furthest corner of the atrium, near the drawing room was where James had caught Sirius snogging Edgar Bones' little sister on a dare.

James brought his attention back to the centre of the room where Marlene still stood frozen. He opened his mouth to finally break the miserable silence, until he noticed the pair of elder witches staring in their direction. Then, another whispering silently to one another and casting furtive glances in their direction. A group of younger witches and wizards, who he thought he saw some seventh years among, were openly glaring. The hiss of whispers buzzed in his ears. He was beginning to feel like a creature on display and then he realized.

James turned his attention to Sirius and felt sick. His eyes were fixed straight for the Sunroom's door with a haughty look. He wasn't daft about what the commotion could possibly be about. More than ever James felt like directing part of his anger at Marlene.

Why had she decided to stop?

Why had she _cared_ enough to stop?

James could only find himself to blame.

Now, they had etched a new lasting memory into the fine marble of The Cavern.

Year five: James had lured Sirius into the pit of snakes.

And as they stared, hiss, and coiled around each other, James couldn't find it in him to care about how right his mother was or how necessary it might be for Sirius to face what was inevitable. Of course, people talked. James wasn't ignorant to the community his parents had raised him around. He recognized that with their money and name there was a price to pay. And for Sirius, that now meant something fundamentally different.

Swiftly, before James could open his mouth, Sirius shouldered past Marlene and muttered:

"Consider it a standing ovation to my reintroduction to society."

James tried to keep in step with Sirius' newfound stride. Immediately, they were greeted by the bright Sunroom. The room had always reminded him of a much cleaner and upscale green house. The sun was streaming in through the glass panelled walls and ceiling. Witches and wizards of all ages occupied small round tables covered in the finest white linens. Below him he could hear the ocean lapping against the wooden beams that held the dark wooden flooring. It had been James' favourite part of coming to Point Coquille as a child. He would stare below through the large gaps in the floorboards during boring luncheons with his parents and family friends. James would dangle cutlery and the knuts he'd nick out of his father's robes, then watch them submerge when they'd finally hit the ocean.

"I see Benjy and Emmeline." Marlene's voice cut through James' musing. He brought his away attention from the floorboards and adjusted his slipping glasses. He quirked an eyebrow and looked over to the direction she had been fixated on. James saw the familiar, kind face of Benjy Fenwick and quiet, mousy Emmeline Vance. Both his housemates sat together at one of the small round tables nearest to the wall of windows.

Marlene started for the table in the distance.

 _Good riddan—_

"Where do you think you're going?"

Stunned, both Marlene and James turned to look at Sirius. The relief in his chest extinguished from the possibility of ridding themselves of Marlene.

 _What?_

It had been the first time Sirius had addressed either of them the entire afternoon. Marlene visibly tense from the corner of his eye. He turned his attention back to Sirius with a pointed look. A look that asked why he would just not rid them of the parasite that plague them. Marlene gazed with knitted brown to a haughty Sirius. His expression had not wavered except for the slight tug at the corner of his mouth. James was hopeful that this might mean the Sirius he knew was still buried somewhere inside this prat.

"To sit with my friends." She said with as much patience she could muster.

Sirius chuckled loudly and her jaw tensed. James almost took a visible step backward. He could practically feel the angry heat being fanned between the two. He inhaled deeply and meant to move forward to suggest that they find their own table. But this time there was something unusual in the unhospitable way they were glowering at one another.

Was James imagining the ticking or was the scene before his eyes about to explode?

 _Good Godric._

"But you're supposed to be with _us_ today. That's what Euphemia said." Sirius smirked.

Somewhere in the back of James' mind a whistle blew and the clock started.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the fifth annual 'Who Can Bite Whose Head Off Faster' and everything's fair game.

James wondered just how much patience it must have been costing Marlene right then in a room full of well-known wizards took a glance around the room, and without a doubt there were several of his peers casting glances and whispering to one another.

She stared at Sirius hard before she said slowly, "The plan was to _leave_ the house. Not spend the day together."

 _No, Padfoot._

Her jaw trembled from how tightly clenched it was, but Sirius' smirk only grew. Seeing as they were in a room full of watchful vipers, James contemplated running interference and tapping Sirius out, but something told maybe he was safer on the sidelines. He spotted Benjy's head pop up and inspect the scene worriedly from his seat. Benjy began hastily whispering to Emmeline.

"See, that's not fair." Sirius began in a convincing concerned voice. "If we all have to be miserable, we all have to miserable _together_."

Foul.

"That's ridiculous!" Marlene finally snapped. A sly smirk was crawling on Sirius' face and he bit back a snort. She looked angrily between Sirius and James.

"Why force ourselves to be around each other when we _clearly_ don't want to be."

Ten points to McKinnon.

Sirius remained silent and stared straight at Marlene. Her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed, and she waited impatiently for an answer. James stood rooted to the spot, hoping the spat would end soon since they were already attracting more attention than he had bargained for.

 _That's right, Padfoot_. _Get it all out now._

He knew that Sirius was only egging on McKilljoy out of a need to project his frustration somewhere—anywhere. A desperate need to find control in his slippery position. In the Sunroom, surrounded by the capricious stares of Point Coquille's most affluent and influential families, could do that to someone. They didn't know Sirius the way he, Remus, and Peter did.

All they saw was a burn mark on a tapestry.

A sullied house.

James thought maybe now was as good as ever to suggest they find their own table. But before he got the chance to, he watched in a horrified stunned silence as Sirius sauntered off to the table occupied by Benjy and Emmeline.

 _NO, Padfoot._

A warning whistle.

Reaching. Entering the opposite team's territory without the Quaffle.

Yellow Card.

The past two weeks he had been caught in the whirlwind of trying to get Sirius' to be himself again, but giving him the room to act out like a petulant child if he needed to. James would understand. James _had_ understood.

Until now.

He watched in horror as Sirius took his seat beside Emmeline and Marlene's face visibly reddened to a concerning shade. With complete disregard to the other diners, James and Marlene bustled their way to the far end of the room towards the table.

Marlene in hopes to murder Sirius.

James in hopes to stop the imminent bloodshed.

It was a bit much now. And if he had to put his foot down, this would be the time. Sirius was clearly riding on Marlene's last generous pinch of patience.

He got the table just in time to hear Marlene hiss:

"What are you _doing_?!"

"Sitting. Having lunch."

James looked over to his other housemates and smiled awkwardly. Emmeline's doe eyes were wide in shock.

"Cheers, James." Benjy greeted quietly. His uneven smile divided between trying to be polite and focusing his attention to his fuming friend.

"You _cannot_ sit here." Marlene whispered hastily.

"I already am."

Marlene opened her mouth to object and James saw her visibly tremble.

James gave a defeated sigh.

"Sirius, let's just go sit somewhere else."

Without missing a beat, Sirius turned harsh grey eyes to James now. Something in his hard gaze made James exceptionally uncomfortable. It also didn't help that the next cold words were directed at him.

"Why?"

It dripped of accusations. Not at all as if he were asking _why_ he needed to get up and switch tables. Instead, there was a clear message only the two of them could hear in the cold syllable.

 _Why._

A statement.

A demand.

An explanation to his betrayal.

James suddenly felt very exposed. Were everyone else's ears at the table tuned to hear what Sirius meant?

It was enough to make James bow out and look _almost_ apologetically at Marlene. Had he known Sirius would raise hell, with this much commitment, James doubted he would have pushed him to come. If he had known he would be receiving this much of a public lynching, one of his mother's hour-long rehearsed speeches would suffice.

James could feel his chest swelling in aggravation, desperation.

He was on his side. Sirius had to know James had always been on his side. That he understood, _damn it_.

He rolled his eyes and pulled out a seat angrily.

Fine.

James would bench this one out.

If Sirius needed him to make a stand in order to prove he wasn't purposely being a knob, he'd suffer through a verbal lashing from McKilljoy.

Horrified Marlene watched as James wiggled into the tight space next to Sirius. The circular table now, not just snugs, but now uncomfortably awkward. Visibly, there was almost no room for Marlene.

"Er…Marlene, it's fine." Benjy interjected for the first time, "Sirius and James can join us if they like."

"See, Marlene?" Sirius quickly added. Marlene was now giving Benjy a very stoic expression. "Benjy says it's _fine_."

The familiar blank expression James had come to loathe was now tightly set on Marlene's face.

 _It's a table, McKilljoy. You'll live._

Marlene reached for a chair and squeezed her way in between Benjy and Emmeline.

An awkward silence suspended among them as they avoided each other's gazes. Emmeline was nervously looking around the room for something to focus on. Benjy busied himself by toying with the table's centrepiece. Sirius smugly stared ahead. Marlene was busy chewing the side of her cheek and staring off into the window panes.

James sighed in aggravation.

He could not care any less. The ticking clock against the wall of the room signalled that eventually their reformatory sentence would have to come to an end.

So, he held onto hope.

The longest two minutes dragged by and James found solace in the simulated half time.

Or so he thought.

"Right…" Benjy coughed awkwardly, "We were just talking about the Gobstones Tournament."

Sirius snorted.

A whistle blew.

The clock resumed.

Playball.

"Er…are you competing?" James asked in a poor attempt to soothe the climbing tension.

"Uhm… we do…every year. Dirk and I, that is." Benjy smiled.

In a flash Marlene's harsh venom flew across the table: "They wouldn't know any of that since they're too busy trying to sabotage it every year."

Sirius' eyebrows flew to his hairline, "That's a rich imagination you've got."

"Right." Marlene sneered.

"Uhm… So, you must all be as hungry as I am. Why don't I go place our orders?" Benjy suggested nervously.

"Er...steak pie." James said.

"Cornish pasty." Marlene muttered.

"Sure you don't want that with a side of Calming Draught, Duchess?" Sirius bit.

James swore he heard Marlene's neck snap from the speed she brought her attention to Sirius. Her face was alarmingly reddening. James shot a nervous look to a worried Benjy. He and James both knew Sirius had never been this brash or cheeky with Marlene. Usually, there was a white flag. She'd walk away.

Roll her eyes.

Ignore him.

Normally, Sirius would grow bored. After, seeing a crack in her stoicism, they'd exchange a few sickles and call it a day.

He'd walk away.

Roll his eyes.

Ignore her.

None of the other comments Sirius had shot past Marlene had cause such a reaction. The nickname had triggered something in Marlene. But as she opened her mouth to unleash her verbal tirade, a coy voice had intruded on their already snug space.

"So, it _is_ true."

Flustered from having her anger interrupted, Marlene turned to look at the unwelcomed voice.

Neck-length dirty blonde hair. A cavalier look. And a button nose.

Drusila Flint.

If the table could emit an audible groan and still be considered socially decent—James would orchestrate the most beautiful symphony of groans.

"Ah, Point Coquille—the gift that just keeps giving." Sirius faked a wide smile.

"I just stopped by to see if the rumours were true. Pity." Drusila said. She eyed the table as if something foul had just been presented on it. "Is this the lot you're hanging out with now that you've been ostracized, Black?"

"Haven't you got a Hufflepuff to make cry, Flint?" Sirius asked haughtily. He didn't bother looking up at her. He began twirling a fork in his hand and rocking on the hind legs of his chair.

Drusila clicked her tongue, "Guess I've got my answer."

"Oy, Flint. The flowers already look dead at this table. Why not spare them from your vile breath." James said.

James reached across the table to the centrepiece of wilting pink sea thrifts. He put a protective hand around the flowers for added effect. This earned him a scowl from Drusila. She turned her attention to the rest of the table and the list of complaints he had been mentally writing to his mother grew. He couldn't wait to get home and tell her how _right_ she was. James scoffed.

Drusila gave a pointed look around the table. Marlene was quiet, her eyes trained down at the table to her hands, and her previous rage forgotten. Benjy, who was still standing to get their orders, shifted from one leg to another uncomfortably. For once, James did not see any form of a smile across Benjy's kind face. And poor Emmeline sat with her hands tightly clenched, her face pink, and staring out the window next to her.

"I would advise the rest of you about who to spend your time with, but…" Drusila shook her head slowly.

"Whom."

Heads turned to the soft spoken Emmeline with looks of mixed amusement and shock.

Emmeline cleared her throat, "It's 'whom', not 'who'."

10 points to Gryffindor.

And then, a loud and familiar bark-like laughter erupted from next to James. Unable to contain himself, the sound filled James with a familiar warmth and he snorted generously. Emmeline was now a solid shade of pink and she averted her gaze from Drusila.

Drusila scowled, "Thank you for further proving my point." She rolled her eyes before moving away towards her own table.

Something told James that Marlene and her friends were experiencing more excitement in this fraction of an afternoon than they had their entire Hogwarts career.

It wasn't long before the familiar awkward silence overcame the table once more. James had hoped the encounter with one of the snakes, would somehow return Sirius to normal. But he didn't. Instead, he poked at his food and stared around uninterested. The only noise at the table were the clattering and clinking of forks and knives. So, James made of the most of it. The steak pie had indeed been worth the trip into the lion's den and in exchange he was willing to take on another judgemental nuisance.

But James had spoken too soon.

In the barely existing space between James and Marlene, a tall and smartly-dressed wizard stood. Goblet to his mouth, James looked up to face the new comer and it took everything not to spit out his pumpkin juice.

 _Travers?_

The last time James had seen Duke Travers he had been eleven and his parents had been invited to his graduation diner. He had heard his parents discussing Travers being sent away to Brazil to study Magizoology. Over the years, James and Sirius had gotten to know his snot of a younger brother—Reuben Travers. He was one of the many fanatics in Snivellus' gang of lonely wankers. James frowned and shot a quick glance at Sirius who was now staring Travers down.

James sat up and readied himself for whatever second wave of taunts were going to be hurled.

Then.

"Afternoon, Ms. McKinnon."

 _Wait. Good Godric. Marlene? He's here for_ Marlene _?_

James' stomach twisted in disgust and placed his goblet down harshly at the table. The cutlery jumped and clattered. Emmeline and Benjy startled as they tore their attention away from the newcomer. A subtle rush of colour had found its way to Marlene's face.

"Oh—uh…Afternoon, Travers."

"I'm pleased you remember."

Both James and Sirius turned confused to witness a flustered and uncomfortable Marlene. James had never seen Marlene look so antsy as she basically squirmed in her seat to try and make herself presentable. She was obnoxiously smoothing out her napkin and staring down at her lap. No matter how many times his mother had tried explaining it to him, James could not wrap is head around the notion of social politesse and decorum. He found the custom in which witches and wizards addressed each other was archaic and followed the practice with a grain of salt. If not, he thought he would look as uncomfortable as Marlene currently was.

"What brings you to the sunroom?" Travers asked.

"Exactly the same as everyone else." Came Sirius' cut-dry remark from his side of the table.

That damn whistle needed to stop blowing.

All eyes were fell on Sirius now. The four legs of his chair stood firmly rooted to the ground. His arms were tightly crossed in front of his chest. Travers watched him careful before raising a questioning eyebrow, then slowly, James watched it dawn on his face. Travers stared back blankly to Sirius who was now smugly smiling. He too had just noticed Travers' recognition of who exactly Sirius was.

Travers' spoke to Marlene but his attention was fully focused on Sirius, "I see you're already escorted, McKinnon. I'll drop by when you're in more… honest company."

 _Foul._

James glared at Travers' over the top of his glasses, hoping the full effect of his annoyance burnt into the side of his meticulously groomed face. Sirius sat upright in his chair now and his eyebrows raised to his hairline.

Marlene's hands trembled under the table.

Benjy's hawk-like gaze was steady on Travers' face.

"We don't think that will be necessary. You see, _Ms. McKinnon_ is to be in disappointing company for the rest of the day." Sirius offered a fake smile.

"Actually, the rest of the summer." James chimed.

"So, her social calendar isn't looking very promising."

"But if you bugger off, we're sure we can pencil you in."

Travers' jaw tightened as his fixed gaze on Sirius moved towards a wide-eyed Marlene. He stood silent before he simply nodded and turned on his heel. James wished more than ever he had the ability to use magic to hex the wanker's pants to drop then and there.

 _Honest company. Prick._

"What was that about?" Marlene hissed across the table. Her angry brown eyes moved between Sirius and James demanding an answer.

James scowled perplexed. James was aware that often times, in the many years he knew Marlene, she was naïve and self-important but he had never thought she could be this _daft_. Had she not recognised Reuben's snot of a brother? Had she not registered the clear contempt Travers had directed at their entire table?

" _What was that about_?" James echoed her, "What was _that_ about?" He demanded. With an angry thumb he gestured in the general direction he hoped Travers had buggered off to.

"Why does Travers want to talk to you?" Sirius chimed.

"I don't see how it's _any_ of your concern. He was just trying to make conversation. There was no need to act as my makeshift _guard dogs_." Marlene stared at both Gryffindors boys in disbelief.

Benjy was gnawing at his lip pensively and looking between the boys before exchanging a look with Emmeline.

"Travers shouldn't be speaking to anyone. He's a _git_." Sirius retorted.

"That's never stopped you from talking to me." Marlene purse her lips.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Duchess—"

"Do _not_ call me that."

"I think it's rather fitting."

"Then I hope you don't mind me calling you a _slobbering drunk_ —"

"ENOUGH."

James' patience had snapped. He was not pleased at the prospect of being the one to call order to a situation. In many cases, James would be the one being scolded for his behaviour. When had he turned into the level-headed and reasonable one? He made a reminder to offer his condolences to Remus. He did not envy the position.

"I think we're done here." James shook his head and tossed his napkin on his plate.

Sirius looked away with a newfound calm air as he leaned back lazily in his chair.

Something in James' core snapped.

"Sirius and I are going for a walk." He found himself saying before he could stop himself. James pushed his chair out with a loud scratch. At the noise, Sirius' eyebrows knitted and took in the humourless look on James' face.

He rolled his eyes, tossed his napkin on his barely touched plate, and also pushed out of the cramped space. The heat had risen to James' head and he was finding it difficult not to explode right there and then. Instead, in a measure to control his words he took generous steps out of the Sunroom. Sirius did not care to give the table one last glance before following James out of the room. If he had he would have seen the deep scowl taking over Marlene's face.

Outside of The Cavern, James found his feet had a life of their own. He was now making his way towards the outskirts of the Muggle village. In the distance behind him, from their slightly elevated position he could see the expanse of Point Coquille mingling in the rest of St. Ives. The coast was in clear view as he leaned against the railing, the ocean below him. He stood quiet for a while, waiting for his heart to stop pounding in his ears. He tried to get the right words together.

 _Sirius, stop being a prat._

 _You're being a knob, Padfoot._

 _Please, play nice?_

But nothing sounded right. Sirius might leave mid-sentence and disappear for hours and leave James hanging onto the thought. The sound of a match striking against its box brought James back. Sirius had now joined James, leaning languidly against the railing and taking a deep drag from of his cigarette.

Smoke.

The exhale of smoke met James' lungs and he closed his eyes. His smoking had gotten worse since Sirius' arrival. That's all they seemed to do lately: sit around Sirius' room and smoke behind closed doors when he was sure his parents had gone to bed.

"Care for one?"

Sirius was extending a slim white cigarette in his fingers. James met his eyes for a second before reaching out and taking the fag with a defeated sigh. Sirius avoided his gaze before reaching back in his trousers' pocket and conjuring the small match box. For a few moments both raven haired boys leaned silent and smoking.

James tapped off the ashes.

"Why do you need to wind her up like that?" He asked quietly.

"Because it's too easy." Sirius let out a short chortle.

"I know it is," James shook his head, "but it gets annoying after a while. You know how stuck up she is. It's a joke to you, but she won't let up because she has to prove something." He rolled his eyes.

Sirius stayed silent as he took a few more drags in silence. The strange air that hung around them for the past weeks troubled James. It was the fear of possibly not knowing who Sirius was anymore and having no control over it. He snuck a glance in the Sirius' direction who was now toeing at his discarded cigarette.

"You've got to admit though, it's been a while since we got a rise out of her like that." Then James watched Sirius properly smile for the first time since his arrival at Point Coquille. A source of hope flickered in James and he smiled back.

"Yeah…" He looked sheepishly to his unfinished cigarette and tossed it. "When's the last time we made her break? The day her and Moony got out of Arithmancy?"

"No." Sirius shook his head holding back his laughter, "Morning after the full moon. Day of the Astronomy OWL."

James let out a loud and involuntary snort at the memory, "Right! What'd she call us again?"

Sirius tried in vain to hold his composure before he spat out mid-laughter, "B-bottom dwelling _ghouls_."

A round of laughter resounded between both Gryffindors.

"What does that _even mean_?" James asked after a breath.

"Can't be bothered to care, honestly." Sirius shrugged.

Their laughter died out and a fresh lull fell over them. James felt a sudden desperation overwhelm him. The Sirius he knew was still in there.

"You've been a right prick."

It came out before James could stop himself.

Sirius exhaled loudly and he turned around to rest his forearms on the railing. He winced against the sea's breeze and the sun's glare. He stared down at the ocean lapping greedily against the concrete.

"Yeah…" was all he could manage.

"I'd like my mate back whenever this prick's done having a pity party." James grinned to soften the effect.

Sirius stared down at the water before turning his attention to James' cocky grin. Sirius shoved James— almost costing him his balance.

"Not to sound like the birds that trail after you, but…I—we, mum and dad that is, are starting to get the feeling maybe we're not enough."

There it was. Out in the open. What he had been itching to say all those nights in a cloud of tobacco smoke. Sirius' face fell and instinctively his cold demeanour took over. He raised his gaze to the coastline and shifted from one leg to the other.

And with another dose of courage James continued, his eyes trained on Sirius.

"I can't begin to imagine what you're feeling—or what you don't want to feel, for that matter. But it's gone on long enough. You're acting as if it's just you versus everyone else and quite frankly that's shit. You've got me, you've got mum, you've got dad, Moony, _and_ Wormtail. We've always been your family." The wave of confidence had taken over and coaxed now that Sirius hadn't bolted in a different direction. "I swore to you, Pads, I'd always be there for you. Even when you're being an outright wanker."

Sirius was staring hard at the coast. The seagulls above them were squawking.

James swallowed and watched Sirius' face for a flash of an idea to what he might be thinking.

Sirius finally turned to look at James, a mingled look of defeat and exhaustion etched across his face. Every tired line was a new question he had mulled over countless sleepless nights. Was he a burden? What if they changed their mind? What if the Potter _thought_ they had wanted him, but were now sorely mistaken?

Just like the last.

"Be mad. Knock a few rubbish bins over. Fuck it, I'll join you." James shrugged. "But know that we _want_ you to come home to us now." James finished.

Sirius broke eye contact to stare down at the ocean and he felt his chest tighten. James waited before reaching over, slinging an arm over Sirius' tense shoulders. He gripped his shoulder before patting it firmly.

"Also, you smell like a fucking chimney. That's what I really wanted to talk to you about."

Unexpectedly, but in an air of familiarity, Sirius threw his head back and let out a barking laugh.

"Come on." Sirius shoved James with his shoulder, "I've got something I wanna show you." And started for the muggle village.

With the flicker of hope renewed, burning, and constant, James added a new point on his mental list to thank his mother.

 **July 22** **nd** **, 1976**

Marlene wasn't sure what had happened after the Dense Duo's grand exit from The Cavern. All she knew was that her recent freedom of wandering the house without running into the both of them had come to a crashing halt. They were either always in the gazebo in the backyard or playing the Wireless loudly in the living room. She found herself tiptoeing and calculating her movement around the house once more. What had possibly irritated her the most was his sudden presence at breakfast. Not a day later had Sirius started joining in at all meals of the day. She felt rigid once more, like a prisoner in her own home. Gone were the days of Marlene crossing the hallway without Sirius' "Wotcher, McKinnon?".

As she spread marmalade on her toast that morning, she had to stop herself from visibly recoiling at the sight of James and Sirius entering the dining room. They were chattering enthusiastically in between their morning greeting to the Potters and McKinnons. Marlene had moved her mouth, but the words refused to come out.

There wasn't anything particularly _good_ about this morning. The only thing she was holding onto for the sake of her sanity was the hope that her OWL results would arrive soon. A loud chuckle came from _their_ end of the table and brought her out of her reverie.

But there wasn't enough time for Marlene to shoot a scathing look in their direction. A large perfectly silver horned owl swooped in right through the back door Sirius had once stumbled through and presented itself in front of Egbert McKinnon. The older wizard who had once been engrossed in his morning paper, now sat stiff in his chair as he gazed down at the regal bird. The rest of the occupants in the room cut their conversation short, stop short of their butter spreading, and stared stunned at the unfamiliar owl. In the midst of their silence, Marta McKinnon tentatively reached forward towards the owl presenting a large and aged looking envelope. All eyes in the dining room that morning remained trained and almost entranced by the arrival of the unexpected post.

In the fraction of a second, Sirius found himself relishing in the McKinnons falter of stoicism, but then frowning deeply as he gazed at the large familiar envelope in Marta McKinnon's hands. She had torn her gaze from the parcel towards her husband next to her. Now, in clear view of the entire table it was clear what had landed on their breakfast table that morning.

"Is that a Proposal Proclamation?"

Marlene had been right.

There had been nothing _good_ about this morning.

* * *

 _So make your siren's call_

 _And sing all you want_

 _I will not hear what you have to say_

' _Cause I need freedom now_

 _And I need to know how_

 _To live my life as it's meant to be_

 _I'll know my name as it's called again_

The Cave – Mumford and Sons


	6. An Unexpected Counsel

**A/N:** I just want to give thanks to everyone who has reviewed and been patient/kind enough to hold on until I've updated. It really does make my day to know there are still readers, especially when a review came in last night and gave me the motivation to give this chapter its last read-through before posting! I really do appreciate your reviews! Thank you! Thank you! I hope the wait has been worth it and I'm excited for what's to come! Enjoy!

 **PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Six**

An Unexpected Counsel

She was eleven again.

Her hands aching to reach out for the Hogwarts letter addressed to her. Her eager and hungry eyes demanding to devour the words meant for her viewing.

Instead Marlene found herself eleven and anxious all over again. Sitting at the edge of her seat, she was awaiting her turn impatiently as her parents inspected her mail.

The silence hung heavy over them and their foggy morning minds were buzzing.

"Marlene," Egbert McKinnon broke the silence, "do you know a Duke Travers?"

The ground beneath her chair shifted.

The little breakfast she had consumed tossed about.

Her breathing stopped short in her throat.

She wondered if everyone else could tell.

 _Could they tell?_

Marlene opened her mouth to reply, but as soon as she had done so an all-consuming fear wrapped itself around her tongue.

 _What as she supposed to say?_

Something about her father's steady gaze brought bitter doubts to her truth. She was unsure of how she should answer—if she _should_ answer. The possibility of getting in trouble for something so innocent and out of her control was suffocating.

But before Marlene could muster the courage to croak ' _yes'_ , Sirius' voice cut had through the McKinnons' interaction.

"I'm sorry." Although there was no trace of sincere politesse in his tone, "Is Marlene being arranged to marry _Duke Travers_."

Regardless of the intrusion, Marlene couldn't free herself from her father's unwavering gaze.

The chill McKinnon demeanour did not waver.

Marlene opened her mouth once more, but immediately regretted it. She feared her thundering heart might leap out before them. She tried to focus on anything but her pulse demanding to be felt along her warm neck.

Euphemia's careful whisper did not quell the heat of her cheeks. If anything, the shuffling of Sirius and James making their way out to the backyard made her even more jittery.

The family matter had called for an urgency of immediate privacy.

A privacy the McKinnons felt entitled to request.

Marlene was certain James or Sirius took their time closing the backdoor with a final and agonizing 'click'.

It were as if the dense air that had once consumed the dining room had suddenly vanished when Edmund leapt out of his chair to take the letter out of his father's hands.

Marlene sat still under her father's watchful stare. Egbert's brown eyes were trying to decipher her and in the manner he'd gaze at an ancient rune he didn't recognize. The swirls and lines no longer held the same meaning he had always been so certain of.

"Egbert." Her mother's voice was strained. From her end of the table, Marta had sat back tensely in her seat and her eyes had not found Marlene's once.

A panicked thought raced across her mind: what if her mother too thought she had entertained Travers?

Under her father's contemplative gaze, Marlene felt her truth slipping.

The suffocation that no matter how she could explain it to her parents, Marlene felt the world under her feet was no longer her own—no matter how much she knew that she had not given Travers any motive to send _that_ letter.

Edmund was hungrily devouring the letter at his end of the table. Dark eyebrows deeply knitted in confusion.

"Marta," Euphemia softly called out, "this is what we've been discussing. Marlene will come of age in the Spring. _They're_ aware of that."

 _They?_

"They're going to jump at any opportunity. They want to bind— be stronger. Strength in numbers."

 _They?_

Marlene hardly recognizes Fleamont's sombre tone as he shared a concerned look with Euphemia.

Edmund was now pacing the dining room, rereading the letter with the same look he'd have while tackling a complex equation.

"Well, what do we do?" Edmund asked.

 _We?_

Marlene's gaze shifted quickly between Edmund's distracting pacing and her father's stoic stare. Quietly, but determinedly awaiting for an answer Marlene herself was unsure of.

"The idea is preposterous." Marta whispered resolutely, her eyes were trained on the window across from her.

The swift relief Marlene had felt was useless. It was gone before it could nestle a home to ease her erratic pulse.

"Of course it is! But _they_ clearly don't think that." Edmund gestured to the letter with much vigour. His brown eyes unmoving from the paper, as if simply captivated by a phenomenon his entire Hogwarts schooling and Egyptian adventures did not prepare him for.

The foreign riddled his mind.

And Marlene craved to be just as riddled.

If only she could catch a simple glimpse of the letter.

Marlene's gaze found her father's once more and suddenly her curiosity felt like an embarrassing taboo. She knew her father was a man of few words, but nothing could make her twist her napkin into dozens of knots than when he father was speechless.

"Maybe we shouldn't answer." Edmund offered with faux finality.

"And what do you propose we do about the owl in the room." Euphemia gestured to the awaiting silver owl. It was hard to miss the edge in her tone.

"We couldn't think of doing that." Marta interjected, "Not here. They're everywhere. Down the road, in The Cavern, at the BWS. We're surrounded by them."

Again, with the ' _they_ '.

"He's meant to work in my department." Edmund added with a sudden realization.

Frantic.

Her pulse was frantic.

 _They?_ Who were _they?_

"Marta," Euphemia called calmly across the table. Bringing her oldest friend's attention to her confident and soft gaze. "Just send back an honest reply."

 _An honest reply?_

Suddenly, the dormant nerves in Marlene's stomach tugged for her attention.

What was considered _an honest reply_ by the McKinnons?

"We can say that we're taking matters into our hands. We're looking into prospects ourselves." Edmund offered.

 _We?_

At Edmund's words, the worrying heat consuming Marlene's body had turned from an anxious whirlpool to an agitated typhoon.

When had _Edmund_ suddenly gotten a say?

"No, that's not how these things are done." Marta chimed dismissively.

"Then we owl back that Marlene appreciates the consideration and we'll keep their offer in mind."

And like the ruthless waves of a typhoon, Marlene's words had landed on the unwitting shores of her own family's conversation.

" _I_ would appreciate it if we would stop discussing this as if _I_ weren't in the room."

The words were cold and sharp with the clear starvation for information. The tremble in her voice had her foolishly gripping onto the last bit left of her napkin.

Eyes around the dining room had landed on the almost forgotten figure of sixteen year old Marlene.

" _Marlene._ " Marta frowned at Marlene's poor decorum.

Swiftly, Marta McKinnon's once agitated demeanour faded into the familiar cold and admonishing lines on her face. Her brown eyes flitted over her daughter once before refocusing her attention on the window across from her.

Marlene thought about objecting and pushing for more information. But, her mother's stern eyes had worked its magic. Marlene had almost fully sunk back into her seat.

But before her back could touch the leather of her chair, her father spoke:

"What would you like to add, Marlene?"

His voice clear and crisp had gripped the attention of the dining room.

Egbert, who had been sitting quietly, had spent the entire discussion attempting to decipher Marlene's reactions and body language. Marlene was surprised to have been addressed at all, and even asked for her input after her disruptive comment, she was at a loss of where to begin. Her father's gaze, as if satisfied with his findings, no longer lingered before looking back to the abandoned letter.

Pathetically, out of all the questions and comments that were being tossed about her mind, all she could muster was:

"Why?"

Edmund looked annoyed, " ' _Why'_ , what?"

She felt sick again.

Suffocated.

"Why are they proposing marriage." Marlene tried to form the word without being sick in her lap. "Isn't that just some outdated custom?"

The McKinnons fell silent.

Marlene was unsure what she had been expecting and their reaction offered no comfort. The thought of bright green eyes was vivid and it further disrupted the tangled web of thoughts at the forefront of her mind.

Euphemia sighed sadly, "Not for all families, I'm afraid."

The desperation rose in her chest. The glimmer of hope that this had merely been a mistake, that society's progression would eliminate the proposal, had all been extinguished by the sincerity and disappointment in Euphemia's tone.

"But that's ridiculous." Marlene said breathlessly. She was clumsily grappling for reason.

She could feel her posture falter.

The foreign fear was working its way painfully and slowly up her spine.

It was burrowing itself deep inside her mind as it fought to conjure itself into a tangible nightmare.

Marriage.

Under the table, her leg began trembling.

There was a bitter taste foaming under her tongue.

"It is." Egbert broke his silence once more. His hands were folded over his mouth before he pulled them away. A look of indifference settled over his aged and grey face. The words had commanded the attention around the table once more.

"How did you meet this, Duke Travers?" Egbert asked once more.

At the sound of his name Marlene turned her focus back to her father. She opened and closed her mouth a few times. Unsure of where to begin. Unsure of how much trouble she would be getting herself in. Another wave of desperation came over her.

"I—uh…I was at the beach with Benjy when Travers introduced himself. I— I didn't recognize him, but I had first met him at the Scrofungulus Awareness banquet this past December. He was seated at our table."

A guilty hush of recognition washed over the McKinnons.

After a beat, Egbert's compelling voice broke through.

"Here is what is going to be done." He placed his napkin on the table, "You are to stay away from him. The letter will be sent back with a polite decline. Marlene will return to Hogwarts, she will apply for the Wenlock Arithmancer Fellowship as planned— she will lead her life as normal. That is the plan—has always been the plan. Now, we can all stop discussing and debating the nuances of probabilities and politically correct politesse." Egbert's gaze met no one as he rose from the table and picked up the letter.

"Please, excuse me. I have some work owls I must send out."

And just like that, Marlene watched her father and the letter leave the room. What was supposed to be newfound assurance had only left her feeling more displaced and uneasy than when the owl had first landed on the table that morning.

—

" _Marlene." Her mother's quiet tone had called out to her, "In all this confusion, I must ask you to remain polite. You are not to give Duke Travers any expectations. Present yourself as a decent standing witch."_

Toss.

" _Your father cannot risk…openly…displaying any sort of….support." Euphemia continued. She was stirring her already cold tea and sighing deeply._

Kick.

" _Your father is a vital figure in our community right now, Marlene. There have been…disturbances…that call for your father's decision making."_

Marlene groaned into the darkness.

She eyed the shadows on her walls and her ears rang with the silence of the night. The only sound was the crashing shore in the distance and the ticking of her clock.

Falling asleep tonight had been exceptionally difficult.

Not only had the events of two breakfasts ago continuously looped in her mind, the evening had been one of the hottest days of the year and no one was safe—not even the Wizarding World and their cooling charms.

She had kicked her sheets off in aggravation and an unwavering heat had fallen over her. Marlene could feel the stiff warmth around her as she began desperately looking for ways to cool off.

She had opened her balcony door, but there was no breeze. A very weak and warm wind would brush past her, but that only seemed to make it worse.

She tried washing her face in the bathroom, but the droplets quickly evaporated off her skin.

The living room posed the same issue as every other room in the house, stuffy and poorly ventilated.

It wasn't until Marlene stepped into the backyard that she had finally found refuge.

She had tiptoed out of the kitchen's backdoor and sighed a breath of relief.

Quietly, Marlene made her way through the darkness, the new moon serving no aid. She was just about to make herself comfortable when she sat on something exceptionally—

"Oof!"

Marlene yelped, bolted up right, and immediately regretted leaving her wand in her room.

"Shh! You'll wake the entire bloody house!"

"B-Black?"

"No. The Bloody Baron—Yes, it's me."

Sirius' vague outline started forming as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Sorry, I— I didn't see you." Her hammering heart pounded in her ears.

"Clearly." Sirius muttered impatiently.

Marlene scoffed.

"Well, you could have said something when you heard me coming."

"Like what?"

"Off the top of my head? 'Hello' would have done nicely." Marlene held onto the gazebo's wooden post. She steadied herself as the rush of adrenaline waned.

"What are you doing out here? It's two in the morning." Sirius mumbled. A small red ember of a light danced in the darkness.

She smelt the waft of tobacco smoke and wrinkled her nose.

"It's warm." Marlene said. "And I assume you're out here smoking?"

"It's warm." He echoed.

"Hmm." Marlene shifted uncomfortably.

A tense silence had lapped between them. She craned her neck to look back to the kitchen door.

She had shifted in the direction of the house.

"Where are you going?"

She stopped short.

"Back inside?"

"Why? Thought you said it was warm. Trust me, Duchess, it's no cooler in there."

A puff of smoke.

The crash of the tide.

Her gaze flickered between the kitchen door and the dancing ember of light.

Marlene stood quiet with one foot waiting for a command and the other rooted to the spot. She had come outside in hopes of some sort of relief. Although the air had been thick and warm, it was much better than lying on a suffocating mattress in her stuffy room.

A room that had housed dark and heavy thoughts of the past two days.

Unable to produce a proper answer, Marlene's turned her attention back towards the gazebo and leaned fully against the wooden post.

If Sirius Black were willing to share his space on a sweltering summer night, then Marlene would take it. She'd just cool off as much as she could before heading back to bed.

"Where have you been hiding?"

Immediate regret of her previous decision set in.

"I haven't been _hiding_. I've just…"

"Been hiding."

"No!"

"Then?"

Out of habit, Marlene opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly found herself very wordless.

She glared through the darkness.

"Then why bother asking if you're so all-knowing?" She bit.

Annoyed, Marlene heard him chuckle . She could make out the outline of his body that was stretched along the cushioned bench. Sirius had one arm tucked underneath his head that he cocked to the side, straining to look at her dark figure in the night.

She fidgeted awkwardly.

In the silence she heard him shuffle. Sirius was busy shifting and bringing up his legs so there was now enough visible room for one more person.

"Sit."

Marlene stared at the space Sirius had just made for her. The alarms were setting off in her head as she stared at the poorly crumpled cushion. What a terrible idea it was to accept sharing anymore space near Sirius Black, especially any space _offered_ by Sirius Black.

She blamed it on the weather.

The new moon.

The changing tide and wonky tilt in the Earth's axis.

She would be pushing her luck on their generous civility. A retort lingered on her tongue, something about not being spoken to as a dog, but it had disappeared. Emotionally drained and overcome with dispassion, she nestled her way into the awaiting seat. She sighed before resting her head back against the wooden railing.

In the mere silence, she had been able to clearly listen to the sounds of the early morning unlike the muffled groan of the tide from her room.

The rustle of the warm breeze, bugs cheeping in nearby bushes, and the crashing tide in the distance beyond the dunes. For the first time in two days, Marlene could hear the pointless hum in her mind again. Slowly, the familiar and peaceful lull before sleep began to overcome her like the introduction an old acquaintance.

"So, when's the wedding?"

There it was.

It hadn't been the weather, the new moon, or Mercury's retrograde. It has been Sirius Black's conniving and sly craft to weasel information he desired. And Marlene had fallen right into it.

The peace she had once foolishly welcomed shattered away. Her sleep deprived eyes were warm and dry. The familiar anxious twist in her chest had returned.

As if sensing her discomfort, Sirius attempted chuckling to lighten the mood.

"I mean," He tapped off the ashes of his cigarette, "you and Fenwick. The other day at the club, you could have cut the tension with a knife." And his chuckle rang out once more.

Marlene froze.

It was a joke to him.

She had just spent the better part of her week locked up in her bedroom, in a haze of anxiety and desperation, and now she was sitting next to a lounging Sirius who laughing away at her expense.

"Very clever." Marlene managed.

"I think so too."

"The inept usually do."

Sirius scoffed and Marlene watched him flick the remnants of the cigarette over the wooden rail.

A beat of silence.

"My cousin got one."

Marlene said nothing, instead she stared into the darkness of the gazebo's ceiling. Neither party said anything as they stared off into the darkness, their minds reeling with memories of peculiar owl post.

She wondered why he had bothered telling her, she knew how the story played out. The Blacks were notorious for marrying off to other pureblood families and within their own lineage.

Marlene shuddered at the unfortunate idea. The familiar intrusive thought she had on replay was slowly returning—

"Must hurt to be rejected by your own family."

"Ah, a Black-Incest joke. Haven't ever heard _any_ of those. Clever." Sirius gave a mirthless laugh.

"I think so too."

"The inept usually do."

Marlene couldn't help herself. It might have been the lack of sleep or that the most riveting conversation she'd had in two days had been with herself. A riveting debate of blue or black ink for the upcoming school year. Regardless, Marlene now sat with her hand stifling her laughter as it escaped in tiny muffled breaths.

Sirius, through the darkness, had raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"I'm pleased you find the humour in this." He feigned seriousness, "I hope you're laughing down the aisle next summer."

Annoyed, Marlene dropped her hand as her muffled laughter quelled. She shot him a dirty look past the darkness. She had tested fate in her exhausted state and the civility had surely dried out. Now her eyes lingered on the backdoor as she debated getting up and leaving for her room.

Refuge was a few short strides away.

There was a quiet scuffle next to her before she heard another match strike it's box.

A bright orange flame.

A flicker of Sirius's face.

A burning ember.

A cloud of smoke.

Then darkness once more.

"Didn't you just have one?" Marlene asked impatiently. She wrinkled her nose at the prickling sensation entering her own lungs.

"If it bothers you, why are you still sitting here?"

Marlene gaped at him. "Because you told me to."

"And do you always do as your told?"

A suffocating silence fell between them.

Did she? Did she always do what was asked of her?

Then, like the unstoppable force of an unravelling howler, the thought Marlene had been repressing rang clear through her:

Would she now be, much to her dismay, engaged to Duke Travers had she been told to do so by her parents?

It all came back to her.

The hesitance and agitation Marlene had witnessed that morning had been enough to keep her up at night biting her nails. The flustered manner in which her mother and Edmund had handled a simple 'no'. Why had saying 'no' been so hard?

No.

It was simple. It rolled off the tongue. They had no trouble ever telling her 'No' to a childish proposition before Hogwarts. Isn't that what the proposal had been? Childish? Superficial? _Ridiculous_? Or had she been the only one to think so?

She found it hard to swallow.

Had they, for a fraction of second, considered the proposal?

Marlene's eyes found a smirking Sirius. It was undeniable to see Orion Black in his features as the smug look had taken over her face. The memory of that night returned and she frowned deeply. The splinching. The spitting. The entire Black family performance.

What had Sirius been playing at this entire time? Why was he interested in her family's decision?

"Don't think I'm not onto you." She glowered.

" _Onto me?_ "

"Being chummy. Offering me a seat. I see right through your guise, Black."

"My _guise_?" Sirius half-spat, half-laughed.

"Don't be coy. It's unbecoming."

"Now I'm ' _unbecoming'_? Little late for that, don't you think."

Marlene's scowl deepened.

"Seems I've touched a nerve." Sirius chuckled to himself, "A blue-blooded nerve."

"I'm not playing into your game, Black." Marlene rolled her eyes and stared at the backdoor.

"I don't play games, Duchess." Sirius said, "If I've said anything that _spoke_ to you—Well… if the cauldron boils…"

Marlene wavered. She hadn't expected the burst of confidence to vanish to quickly and she blinked back towards Sirius.

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"Let's be clear—" Sirius was now shuffling to sit up, "I don't care. I just hate being inconvenienced. I'd like to know what my social calendar will look like. I'm not particularly fond of weddings, you see. There's the dress robes, the gifts, the formality, _the drinking limit per guest_. It's all a little too _stuffy_ for me."

Marlene rolled her eyes. It seemed due time for her to take her leave and head back to her stuffy room.

"Now, if there's something you need help getting out of, I know someone who can help." Sirius was now sitting up and facing her, his legs still at bent at an angle, not daring to trespass in her allotted space.

Marlene turned to look at him through the darkness and found his haughty stare.

"You seem awfully convinced I'm _betrothed_ to Travers."

"I know you're nailed to the idea that I'm daft, McKinnon, but I can assure you I can put two and two together."

"Oh really?" It was almost amusing to her, keeping the information from him and dangling it as he helplessly swatted.

Sirius rolled his eyes impatiently, "Then why did mummy and daddy dearest take a dreadfully long time to deliberate?"

Marlene bit her tongue and sat in silence warding off the stream of intrusive thoughts. She stared straight into the darkness in front of her, anxiously twisting at the hem of her shirt. She was ready to say it, she just wasn't sure she believed it.

"I'm not marrying Travers."

There it was.

The unconvincing truth.

The sea crashed loudly in the distance.

The bush crickets continued their chirping.

"Well, then, I guess you're not going anywhere, are you?" Sirius offered nonchalantly.

Marlene said nothing and sat dazed in their humming silence. She wondered if there was any truth in Sirius' words. In spite of the hesitance, doubts, and unease that had filled the dining room that morning, Marlene had held onto her father's words the most to regain her sanity.

Now she wondered if she would hold onto Sirius' words as well.

In the strained stillness Sirius had groaned irritably before muttering something about running out of fags and getting up to leave the gazebo.

 _It was going to be okay_.

 _She wasn't going anywhere._

* * *

 _If you're lost and lonely,_

 _Go and figure out why._

 _Take a trip to your dark side,_

 _Go on and have a good cry._

' _Cause we're all lonely._

 _Yeah, we're all lonely— together_

Birdtalker - _Heavy_


	7. The Scarlet Letter

**A/N:** Well, that was a long wait. Oops! To those of you reading and wondering if I'm just fiddling my thumbs, it's something like that. I've got a lot going on right now and I found some happiness refuge now and then in the story. I really appreciate the reviews, sometimes the most unexpected ones are the ones that propel my motivation to finish editing a chapter. Thank you again for the reviews. This is a long one and I hope you enjoy it!

 **EDIT:** So, I uploaded this chapter yesterday, but I still didn't feel comfortable about _the flow_ of a certain scene. If you've read this chapter when I uploaded it yesterday, nothing plot wise has changed—just better writing (I hope).

 **PART ONE: Point Coquille**

 **Chapter Seven**

The Scarlet Letter

 **July 25th, 1976**

 _03.17 hours_

"I _said_ my brother will play his part—I'll make sure of it." Duke had insisted for what felt like the tenth time that early morning.

His worn and tired gaze met an aggravated Avery who sat across from him in the dimly lit sitting room. Steadily, the tension in the room had been mounting and the awaiting sunrise beyond the Cornish hills followed suit.

Steely eyes gazed over a crystal tumbler as they observed the angry Scot ready to lash another verbal tirade over the youngest Travers' absence.

"Can the same be said about you?" Lucius coolly interjected. The ice clinked against his glass as he brought the burning liquor to his mouth.

Duke's gaze flickered to briefly to observe Lucius' calm demeanour, teetering on the verge of impatience.

"I've been following the McKinnon girl, if that's what you're implying. They're here just like every other summer," Duke exhaled haughtily bringing his attention back to the tailored cuffs of his robes.

The glass tumbler sounded roughly against the table.

"You mistake me for one of your sycophantic _cohorts_ , Travers." Lucius' tone was straining to remain cool. It was difficult to ignore the uncomfortable shifting of the other three men present as his fingers were whitening against the tumbler, "I'm not sitting at this table at this godforsaken hour to play your games. Did or did the McKinnons not respond?"

A tense silence swept over the parlour and neither Lucius nor Duke spoke. Both men seated directly across each other, refused to drop their haughty expressions. It wasn't long before Duke lazily took interest in the front of his robes. His fingers were skilfully working away the imaginary lint before he said: "Well, how do you expect the cowards to reply?" Much more to Duke's entertainment than the rest of the men present, he dragged the silence for longer than a beat. "Of course, they said no."

Rabastan let out a low snort form his side of the table, quickly hushed with a dirty look shot from Duke. Clearly, the eldest Travers had picked up on the undertone of the delight.

Lucius muttered, "I guess your sycophantic cohorts won't be growing by one."

Avery had joined in on the chorus of laughter that had rippled through Rabastan and Rodolphus.

"What's wrong, Travers?" Avery's heavy Scottish brogue was muffled by his laughing, "Nae loosin' ye charm, are ye?"

"The _point_ , Malfoy," Duke interjected, fighting the flustering anger bubbling inside him, "is the response. I think we have our _answer_ based on that." He smoothed over his goatee impatiently.

The laughter had quelled quickly and the five men sat silently mulling over the new information. Lucius took another drink from his glass before gesturing to Avery.

"And the Black blood traitor?"

"I've been tracking him since he got here. The wanker 'sbeen heading into the muggle village every night to get pissed. But, you're right, Malfoy. He's been staying at the Potters." The disgust on Avery's pale and thin face shone clear in the dim light.

Rabastan scoffed loudly in distaste, "The _muggle_ village?"

"You expected any better?" Duke retorted sardonically. The youngest Lestrange scowled, clearly uninterested in having his opinion about Sirius Black debated. Duke smirked smugly in return.

"Regulus?"

The smug expression on Duke's face fell as the sound of the name. Stiffly, Duke met Lucius' stony expression, demanding Duke to give an answer or at the very least, a guarantee.

"I said, I'll make sure Reuben plays his part," Duke said through gritted teeth, his composure quickly failing him. The need to repeat himself was rapidly dissolving his last nerve. The table fell into another silence, a mixture of the early morning exhaustion setting in and the thought of the taxing task ahead of them.

It was Lucius who took a deep breath before downing the rest of his drink. The same stony expression on his face. Lucius leaned back, lacing his fingers on his chest and said:

"If the blood traitor is staying with the Potters and the McKinnons haven't sacked him…" He took a long pause, "then Egbert McKinnon has made his allegiance clear."

* * *

 _13.27 hours_

Marlene would be lying if she said she wasn't sure how she had landed herself in this position.

On the contrary, she was sure once her sandy legs and feet had found their way back to her room she would be able to retrace her demise on a carefully drawn chart to one specific source.

The weight of her sopping wet book in her hand reminded her of that fact.

Her wet legs had trudged forcefully through the mounds of sand and her unoccupied fist was balled angrily at her side.

Today had not been remotely close to a good day and the rest of the month wasn't looking any better.

The entire way back to the house she had been cursing and blaming herself under her breath. She cared little for the kick-up of sand she was causing as she pushed over the sand dunes. A blistering heat had erupted from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears and she was certain it was not a product of her day in the sun.

Unsuccessfully, she fumbled with the back gate's lock and let out a distressed groan. A quick smack at the wooden fence would have been satisfying had a silky voice, the same silky voice that often trespassed on her poor night's rest, not spoken.

"If I were to guess, I'd say someone is in a testy mood."

* * *

 _09.12 hours_

Insomnia was a complicated thing.

There was the common misconception that it solely meant someone would not be able to _get to sleep_.

Sirius couldn't _get to sleep_.

But, Marlene couldn't _stay asleep_.

Her nights now consisted of drifting off into a superficial sleep, where her subconscious muttered to her through every wonky dream she had and resulted in her waking up gasping. She tried counting backwards, but only found herself thinking of her Arithmancy O.W.L. She attempted reading, brewing a cup of herbal tea, and forcing herself to lay in bed. All she had managed to achieve were hot and tired eyes staring in the darkness until the sun's light would slowly creep up her walls.

The only comforting thought Marlene found she could cling to was the reminder that her O.W.L. results were soon on their way. As soon as the sun had washed her room in enough light, she would spend her mornings staring to the distance, hoping to see a sign of her results.

Her O.W.L. results would be the tangible reinforcement that her life was indeed ordinary and dull in comparison to the past month she had spent in someone else's shoes.

Which is why, when three black ministry owls had swooped into the kitchen that morning, Marlene's steps had thundered through the house as she scrambled into the kitchen where Sirius and James were already pouring over their results.

Both boys exchanged toothy and smug grins.

"How'd you do?" James asked, reaching over and swapping his O.W.L. results with Sirius'.

"E in Transfiguration!"

"Brilliant! O in Charms!"

The two boys had proceeded to high-five over Marlene.

The oddly quiet Marlene had stood tense, only a soft and almost inaudible "What?" escaped her.

Marlene's eyes roved over her own results several times. Double checking that the results she had just torn open were indeed hers and not James' or Sirius'.

Her stomach sank when her gaze flited over her name neatly and clearly printed at the top of her results.

 _ **Marlene McKinnon has achieved:**_

Followed by a list of rewarding O's and E's, until stumbling starkly against the irregularity:

 **Astronomy A**

Insomnia was about to get far more complicated.

Upon the arrival of his own results, Benjy had hastily made his way to Marlene's house to share the news. But Benjy should have known his excitement would be short lived as his first few knocks on her bedroom door had gone unnoticed.

Tentatively, the young Fenwick had pushed open her door only to find her erratically scrawling over a scroll of parchment.

Marlene was in some sort of work trance, her shoulders tense and hunched as she dipped her quill aggressively.

"Mar?"

Benjy took a few steps into her room, his brow furrowed deeply. He tried to peer around her shoulder to see what she could possibly be so preoccupied with.

Marlene had stopped her fervent writing, quill twitching at hand and her eyes unmoving on the letter in front of her. Wordlessly, she took the face-down parchment of her results from the corner of her desk and stuck it out towards the new arrival.

Benjy's mouth opened, but quickly closed. He shook his head and the slew of questions running through his mind ceased. Instead, the Ravenclaw accepted the awaiting parchment of O.W.L. results. Quickly, he skimmed through her results, curious as what could have her in such a frenzy. Marlene's result looked nearly textbook until his eyes landed on the one deviant letter staring back at him:

 **Astronomy A**

He let out a loud sigh and saw Marlene now covering her face with ink stained fingers.

"Mar," Benjy called out to her. His tone similar to a parent consoling a toddler on the verge of a tantrum.

Marlene let out a loud aggravated sigh. "I know what you're about to say and I'd rather not hear it." She looked back down at the letter she had been sloppily drafting to Professor Sinistra.

"Well, in your defence," Benjy hesitated. "I was certain you'd get the A in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Benjy grinned.

Marlene scoffed loudly, clearly missing the punch of Benjy's poorly timed wit. "I don't think Lupin would have allowed the examination board after how much time I _forced_ him to help me study."

Benjy let out a soft chuckle before looking over her results once more. Hesitantly, he glanced at her with an encouraging smile.

"Marlene, you did really well!"

"That's easy for you to say," The agitated Gryffindor looked up from her desk to Benjy for the first time and frowned. "Let me guess…only one E?"

Benjy clicked his tongue mockingly. "Green doesn't suit you, Marlene."

Marlene rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out in hopes of retrieving her results. Instead, she watched Benjy make his way over to her bed to pour over her results once more.

Turning her attention back to her desk, she picked her quill up once more.

 _Dear Professor Sinistra,_

 _I hope your summer holidays have been_

 _I am writing to discuss my O.W.L. result_

 _In a twisted turn of events, it has actually been proven that I_ _am_ _less than my older and much more adored brother and will ultimately amount to nothing_

Marlene let her head fall onto folded arms and tried to focus on anything but the loud breathing Benjy was prone to when concentrating deeply.

How crummy of a friend could she have been? It had been almost a week since she last saw Benjy and the first instance they reunite Marlene had thrown herself into a self-pity spiral.

Her stomach sunk further.

The haunting reason Marlene had put off seeing Benjy loomed over her shoulder like a cold chill. She had contemplated telling Benjy about the proposal and about Travers, but she found that every time she was headed for the door, the fear of haunting green eyes somewhere in Point Coquille kept her rooted to her room. She had convinced herself that the matter had been solved, and she wasn't going to be married off like some 1700 Pureblood bride. What was the need in telling Benjy?

Call it Insomniac Logic, but she had thoroughly convinced herself at this point that her life was going back to normal.

Until this morning.

There had been nothing more Marlene had wanted than to return to a slice of normalcy that summer. If she were to chart all her previous summers at Point Coquille, this would be the outlier that stuck out like a sore thumb—much like the A in her O.W.L. results.

The knot in her stomach tightened.

Summers at Point Coquille were supposed to consist of Benjy, Emmeline, and Marlene having brunch at The Cavern, watching Benjy win the annual Gobstones Tournament, kidnapping Remus whenever the opportunity arose, and having absolutely no contact with either James or Sirius.

No summer had ever consisted of a green eyed stranger who was bold enough to send her a marriage proposal. No other summer had consisted of Sirius Black stumbling into her family dining room cursed and unconscious. And certainly, no other summer had required her to have as much contact as she had with Black— sober or inebriated.

Which is why she had eagerly looked forward to the arrival of her O.W.L. results.

The promise of her ordinary future, still planned out and awaiting her, was enough for Marlene to hope this summer had been a fluke. She held onto her father's words at breakfast the morning of the proposal, that her life would carry out as planned—the Wenlock Arithmancer Fellowship awaited her.

But now her Astronomy O.W.L. result was an A.

"Are you quite done dissecting my fated failures?" Marlene muffled into her arms.

There was a light rustle of parchment where Benjy had smacked Marlene's head with her own results.

"I don't see the problem. You did brilliantly on all your other subjects—and might I remind you! See this column up here, it says 'Pass Grades: Acceptable – A'. So, in defence of Griselda Marchbanks, you've achieved all your O.W.L.s!" Benjy was now standing behind Marlene and frowning. She let out long sigh and turned to look at her concerned friend's face.

"The Wenlock Arithmancer Fellowship requires an E _minimum_ on the Astronomy O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. in order to even be considered."

Benjy had grown quiet as his frown deepened. Clearly, a witty remark had slipped past him as he observed his best friend's distressed face. His eyes flickered down at Marlene's results once more.

"But this won't stop you from taking the N.E.W.T. class and scoring top marks." He concluded thoughtfully. Marlene then reached over to take her results back and placed it face-down once more on her desk.

"Yes, that is Phase Two of Plan A," Her messy letter stared up at her. Suddenly, with a rekindled determination, she picked up her quill.

"Phase Two of Plan A?"

"Yes," Marlene dipped her quill nonchalantly in her ink pot. "Phase One is currently underway, where I beg Professor Sinistra for suggestions to remedy this… _oversight_."

"Uh-huh…" Benjy hummed cautiously. "Should I dare to ask what Plan B is in the event Plan A flops like a Flubberworm?"

"I write a strongly worded letter to Griselda Marchbanks," Marlene finished coolly.

"Good luck with that."

"I appreciate it."

Benjy silently watched while Marlene scribbled on a fresh sheet of parchment.

"Now, not to pour salt over the wound but…" Benjy trailed hesitantly, he was now pacing. "Didn't I give you my Astronomy notes to study for the O.W.L.s?"

There was a loud _thud_ from Marlene's desk, and Benjy looked over startled. Marlene had tipped over her ink pot and was now soaking through the new letter.

"Mother Rowena," Marlene hissed. She pushed away from her desk with much vigour Benjy was convinced she might topple over her inkpot once more. She moved over to her closet in hopes of finding an old shirt to mop up the mess.

Of course, she had thought about. She had dissected every possibility that had led to the _surprising_ result. The memory became clear once she had managed to trace back her mental footsteps.

"It's funny you should ask," Marlene said through gritted teeth.

"I have a very strong feeling there won't be anything funny about it," Benjy muttered under his breath. Benjy had a hunch of the familiar story Marlene was about to recount.

"Remember, it was that afternoon Black and Snape were having it out in the library corridor."

Marlene was now fiercely trying to rub out the ink stain. Her composure forgotten.

"Ah, it's all coming back to me now," Benjy mumbled and threw back his head and stared at the ceiling. The faint memory of a haggard and furious Marlene spitting verbal fire at the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room came back to him. It had been difficult for him to decipher much besides 'My Astronomy notes!' 'Black this' and 'Black that' and 'I really need your Astronomy notes!'

"I used my own charts as a shield."

On cue a howl of laughter had travelled up the staircase from the kitchen.

"Ah," Benjy pursed his lips in attempt to stop his grinning.

"Therefore, it's all his fault," Marlene decided with finality. Her composure now restored as her lips formed a thin line.

"Clearly," Benjy retorted. Marlene shot him a pointed look before taking her seat once more.

Had Benjy been aware of Marlene's Insomnia, he too would have agreed her conclusion might have had a hand from Insomniac Logic.

"Now, are you going to help me with this letter or are you going to continue making your little jokes at my expense?" she picked up her quill and a produced a fresh sheet of parchment from her drawer.

Benjy smirked, shaking his head defeatedly. He moved around to have a better view of her writing.

"Oh!" Marlene spun around quickly and swiftly plucked Benjy's O.W.L. results from his hand. "But first."

"Oi!"

"An _E_ in Ancient Runes, _Benjamin_?" Marlene tutted loudly. She was repressing the teasing smile that was worked its way over her face. Flustered, Benjy grabbed his results and placed the parchment facedown next to Marlene's.

" _It's the only E I got_!"

Marlene pursed her lips to stop her growing smile. "Congratulations, Benjy," and poised her quill to resume her letter.

But not before Benjy could mutter out of the corner of his mouth, "At least _I_ got an O in Astronomy."

The rest of the early morning consisted of Marlene and Benjy constructing the perfect letter to plead to Professor Sinistra's compassion. They argued that Marlene deserved a shot at proving herself for the Wenlock Fellowship and her O.W.L. result was no reflection if her ability in the subject. The letter concluded that Marlene would do whatever it took to complete a spellbreaking project under Professor Sinistra's supervision.

Downstairs an entirely different conversation was taking place. A pale and sandy haired young wizard with a large, overstuffed, and tattered rucksack sat in between James and Sirius. The three Gryffindor boys were laughing so hard a few tears had been forming in James' eyes. He quickly did away with his glasses, coughing and gasping for air.

"Wait till Padfoot tells you about the latest addition to his muggle repertoire," James coughed once more.

"Legs for _days_ , Moony!" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows cockily.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Padfoot," Remus shook his head, a betraying grin on his face. He was now rummaging through the front of his backpack's pocket. He conjured up his own parchment of O.W.L. results and looked up at them.

"Is Marlene around—?"

"Ugh," Sirius scowled taking a swipe at Remus' results. James lout out a loud laugh shaking his head.

"I hope _that_ didn't just jog your memory to think of McKilljoy, did it?" James said. His face had twisted as if he had just tasted something foul.

Remus shot James an exasperated look before giving Sirius a swift knock at the back of his head. It had immediately put an end to Sirius' loud and dragged out: "EURGH!"

"Both of you are impossible," Remus muttered making to stand up.

"Oh no, you're not going to start disappearing on us already, Moony!" Sirius shot Remus an annoyed look.

"You do this _every_ summer!" James interjected just as annoyed.

"Honestly, the two of you," Remus shook his head, unperturbed by the fact that James and Sirius were now putting on an act.

James had launched himself across the table dramatically. "What does _she_ have that _we_ don't?"

"You're a heartbreaker, Remus Lupin! My mother warned me about men like you!" Sirius chimed in and clutched onto Remus' tattered knapsack. It took all of Remus' strength and a few ripping noises before shaking Sirius off. Panting, Remus started making for the door, shaking his head in disbelief of his best friends' antics.

"Fine! But don't come back to us when it doesn't work out!" James fake sobbed which earned him and Sirius a vulgar flip of Remus' two fingers. Immediately, James and Sirius broke character and howled as their coyly vulgar werewolf friend now in search of Marlene.

* * *

 _12.27 hours_

The seagulls squawked flying high above.

The raucous laughter and banter other beach goers.

After a downpour that followed the heat wave, warm and clear days like the one of that day were the ones holiday goers of St. Ives took advantage of. It would be unwise not to soak up as much of the sunny days knowing that in only a few more weeks, clear and uninterrupted summer days would make way for the rain.

At least, that was the logic Benjy had used on Marlene.

After Benjy intercepted Remus in the hallway, in hopes of saving him the dramatics he had witnessed with Marlene, Benjy had used the best of his charm on Marlene so she could at least try to unwind down by the shore.

Benjy had long given up on his book and was reclining back on his chair. His eyes were tightly closed against the prickling sun and listened to the rolling tide.

The seagulls squawked flying high above.

The raucous laughter and banter other beach goers.

Marlene tried to focus on the words in front of her, but her eyes were burning from the lack of sleep. A conga line of endless to-do lists were monopolizing her thoughts and she had to actively relax her shoulder against the beach chair.

In all honesty, she would much rather had been back in her room attempting to delegate the looming workload for the upcoming year.

A pit of fear stirred awake in her chest.

She tried once more to immerse herself in her novel, every now and then stealing a glance at a blissful and carefree Benjy.

And she couldn't help but wonder: How did he do it?

"Hey Marlene," a familiar Cambridgeshire accent had jarred her out of her thoughts.

To her left, Marlene saw an approaching Remus with a book at hand. Swallowing uneasily, she chanced a look behind him and her stomach sunk. Marlene was disappointed to find Remus, as she predicted, has not been alone. Trailing behind Remus, was Sirius obnoxiously laughing and tucking Peter roughly under his arm. He proceeded to ruffle his straw blonde hair and bark out a joke only to have James double over in laughter. The tension steadily returned to her shoulders.

Just what she needed.

Remus was now settling in the sand in front of her chair, seeking refuge under the parasol. Quietly, the sandy haired wizard propped open his book on his lao and began to read. She took this as her cue to busy herself with her own reading.

But as she was settling into her once forgotten page, a loud whistle and flash of red caught her attention. James had his fingers in his mouth as Peter snickered to himself. Marlene looked to hat the commotion was about and saw Sirius laughing as he finished peeling off his shirt. He briskly ran to the shoreline with no regard to test the water first, his feet were engulfed in the tide.

Sirius turned his furrowed gaze towards the sea in front of him then stooped down and brought a handful of saltwater to his calf. Marlene's gaze lingered curiously on the long, pink and swollen scar on the back of his leg. Sirius' face pinched as he continued to nurse his scar with the cold seawater. He turned his back to them as he repeated the action.

She was certain it the lack of sleep and her mind on Astronomy, but Marlene now had a clear shot at Sirius' back. She had never noticed the dark beauty marks that littered across his back like complex constellations.

Constellations.

Astronomy.

 _A_.

A disgruntled squawk of a seagull.

The banter of Peter and James.

As if she had just been intruding on a private moment, Marlene swiftly brought her gaze down to her book. Anxiously, she fidgeted with her oversized shirt in the fear that she too might have appeared just as bare and vulnerable. She was busy securing that her shirt covered the thick black straps of her swimming costume when—

 _THUMP!_

"Oi!" Benjy yowled.

An inflatable white ball had bounced off the peaceful wizard. With one hand on his forehead, Benjy was now clambering on his chair and looking around for the source of the disturbance.

Another loud wolf whistle sounded from the shoreline.

"Alice Fenwick, as I live in breathe," Sirius gave another low whistle for good measure.

Alice stood in her two piece swimming costume, ball now propped against her hip. She smiled down at Benjy's aggravated expression, her round face pink from the sun.

"Wotcher Bennie," Alice chuckled, ignoring Sirius' comment.

"Much better before my dearest cousin got here," Benjy muttered grumpily and continued to massage his forehead.

Alice merely cocked an eyebrow with a playful grin.

"Hey lads."

"Hey Alice, when'd you get in?" James asked.

"Same as Benjy," She was now prodding Benjy on his chair to make room for her. The raven haired boy made a disgruntled face before scooting over and shooting Marlene an exasperated look.

"I see no sign of Frank?" Sirius grinned. "Could that mean good news for me?"

The blonde pursed her lips to stop her smiling. "All that means is you better watch yourself more than ever, Black."

A howl of laughter escaped Sirius.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want word getting back to Frankie."

"I'd hope for your sake too," James snorted.

"Remember the last time?" Peter snickered. "No doubt jinxing your bed to wail every time you fell asleep wasn't just _your_ punishment."

James grimaced at the memory. "Where is Frank anyway?"

"He's off interning at the Dutch ministry for the summer. Something about having one of the best Auror departments in Europe," Alice waved her hand dismissively. "I've got the entire school year planned out so he can to make it up to me."

"Or I could get the job started right now—Oi!"

Alice had tossed the ball at Sirius, narrowly missing his head and landing in a _thump_ at James' feet.

"Charming, Sirius," Alice rolled her eyes.

Sirius winked. "Apparently not charming enough."

"Anyway, anyone up for a game?" Alice turned her attention away from Sirius to the rest.

There was a chorus of agreement, all except for Marlene who was sinking further back into her chair, hoping that they would exempt her by oversight. The prospect of playing a game she was sure she would be rubbish at was the not her idea of unwinding at the show. Not to mention the comedic fuel that would fan the Dense Duo's flames.

"Coming, Marlene?" Alice smiled kindly. Marlene shuffled uncomfortably, bringing her book up to show Alice. She resisted glancing in Sirius and James' direction, determined not to see them whispering and snickering to each other.

"I'm alright. I'd just like to get some reading done." Marlene said.

It didn't take long for Marlene to settle into her novel once the group had begun their game of keep ball. She had devoured an entire chapter of _A Curse of_ _Dragons and Red Caps_ and was starting to feel confident in her newfound peace. Maybe coming down to the beach had been a good idea. Maybe she _was_ capable of clearing her mind and finally unwind.

Maybe—

 _THUMP!_

Marlene gasped loudly as the ball had landed directly on her book and bounced into her face. Her hands shot up to clasp her nose, now jolting with pain. She sniffed loudly as the pain began to slowly subside.

"Your foul— your ball, Sirius!" Alice ordered.

With a reproachful look she turned to see a panting Sirius. He was poorly struggling to hold back his amusement at her current state. Marlene pushed away the mess of curls from her face and grabbed the ball in front of her. A familiar warmth was working its way up her neck and settling on her cheeks. This warmth, she was sure, had nothing to do with the day's forecast and instead with the troublesome presence approaching her.

"A'right?" Insincerity coated the edges of Sirius' tone when he haughtily addressed her.

Marlene pursed her lips and merely extended the ball harshly in his general direction. There was a guarantee she would say something she'd regret. The heat of her aggravation was sweetly tempting and coaxing her to let the world spill out of her.

Regardless, she remained silent.

"Peter's the Demiguise in the middle and he's got poor catching skills," Sirius wiped the sweat off his flushed brow before accepting the ball. Marlene said nothing and instead focused her annoyance on recovering her lost page.

Confused, Sirius stood unmoving and waiting for a response from the annoyed McKinnon. Refusing to look up at him or acknowledge his presence, she continued her loud and irate page flipping. Getting the point of her poorly masked contempt Sirius rolled his eyes.

He scowled, but before trekking back to his friends, he muttered loud enough for Marlene to catch the word: "Naff." Like a lick of rogue fire from the coals, a ripple of anger scorched through her.

"Oh, brilliant," Marlene hissed. She snapped her book shut, addressing Sirius' back. "Is that your version of an apology?"

Sirius stopped in his tracks. He wheeled around, ball tucked under his arm, mouth slightly agape and glaring at the young witch.

Her hands were tightly wound on the book in front of her. Marlene had promised herself she would not be baited by him…but her determination dissolved. It would not at the expense of him getting away with whatever he chose to call her.

The angry squawking of two seagulls squabbling over crumbs.

The deafening absence of their friends' banter and laughter.

He took swift strides back towards her, hovering inches from her chair. Steely eyes were glowering down at her, the fine beads of sweat on his brow slipping down the length of his nose.

"I'm sorry, _Duchess_ ," Sirius' words dripped with cynicism.

They were starring daggers at each other, eyes narrowed and daring for the other to say something. But it was when Marlene decidedly picked up her book and flipped a couple of pages as if he had not existed that it had happened without warning or notice. Just as Marlene had decided on a sentence she was sure she had previously read, Sirius' sand flecked hand gripped onto her book and swiped it out of her grasp.

"Now, that's not very polite," Sirius teased.

Eyes wide in shock and words lodged in her throat, she looked down at her book in Sirius' sandy grip. Marlene tried to remain calm, but there was crooked smirk painted on his face and she could feel her calm quickly slipping. Her book in his grasp was close enough for her to reach.

She stood up abruptly.

"Give it back," Marlene said dispassionately. It was embarrassing. Marlene felt like a toddler pleading to have their toy returned. She avoided his eyes and could feel the flush reaching her cheeks.

"No," Sirius frowned.

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "No?" Marlene made to reach for the book, but Sirius was quicker and proceeded to hide it behind his back.

"Not until you apologize."

There was a growing desperation to hex the smirk off his face. Marlene ignored his comment and reached out once more for her book. She could feel the leather lightly graze her fingers, but Sirius swiftly reciprocated in the most childish was possible. He was now holding her book above his head. The tempting irritation Marlene was avoiding was pushing the last of her patience.

She moved and awkwardly tried to reach her book on the tips of her toes. Swallowing hard she tried to stop herself from thinking how much of her dignity she had just lost. Anger surged through her now, her pride was shot.

"That's enough, Sirius!" Alice's voice was muffled over Sirius' laughter.

Marlene's eyes snapped to meet his taunting gaze and growled, "Apologize for what?"

"I was speaking to you and you ignored me by hiding behind your book."

"Well, forgive me for not contributing to the _riveting_ conversation."

"Now, that didn't sound very sincere, did it?" Sirius tutted thoughtfully.

" _Sincere?_ " Marlene hissed. "And _your apology_ was? Give it back."

She made an aggressive swipe for the book, but his height continued to play to his advantage. Her attempt just ensued another chorus of his boyish laughter. The taunt boiled her blood and she stood back, regarding Sirius with contempt.

"Okay, Sirius," It was Remus this time. The exasperation in his tone was hard to miss.

"Maybe if you asked nicely," A faux thoughtful expression on Sirius' face.

"Nicely?!" Marlene spat. "You _nicked_ it from me. How am I supposed to ask for something that's rightfully mine."

"You're right, McKinnon," That smirk sat unmoving from his face as he extended the book towards her finally.

Marlene stared at him for what felt like a full minute before slowly reaching out—

"I'm not playing your games, Black!" She growled.

Bark like laughter echoed across the beach as he held the book out of her reach once more. White-hot embarrassment flushed her chest and neck red. Determined and desperate Marlene launched forward in vain, causing Sirius to take generous steps backwards.

"Give it."

"No."

"I'll stun the _both_ of you!" Alice called out.

"Give it!"

"Say please!"

"Give it!"

"No—wait! Waitwait _wait_ — _UGH!_ "

 _SPLASH!_

"You _git!_ "

Marlene's chest was rising and falling rapidly as she watched Sirius in a heap on the crashing shore. He was busy holding the underside of his foot and next to him, in a wet sandy lump, was her book.

A pained look crossed his face as he adjusted his leg to stare at the bottom of his foot he had just gashed against a rock.

"If you had just _stopped_ when I said _wait_ ," Sirius muttered sourly looking at his cut.

Marlene was too busy picking up her book before it was washed away in the current. She bit her lower lip in deep concern as she held the sopping book in her hands, too distracted to notice her own legs engulfed in the cold tide.

Something deep inside her cracked.

"This is all your fault!" Marlene choked. Her livid glare found Sirius who now standing up with the same pinched expression.

"How'd you figure _that_ one? I told you to _wait_. I was going to give you your sodding book back!" Sirius bit.

"Because of _this_." Marlene pushed the wet book into his face. " _This_ and you're _thoughtless_ need to play reckless games. Did you know that Grimly Belby ended up in the hospital wing that day?!"

Sirius looked puzzled now, as though she had just declared she had been a muggle all along. The words had just spilled out of her before she could consider them differently.

Maybe it had been a culmination of the past few weeks…maybe even years of hallways taunts and jabs at her serious natures. Maybe it had been, unbidden to her mind, the rapid flashes of memories of Sirius drunk, Sirius and Snape duelling in the hallway, her Astronomy result, the sinking feeling of having to tell her parents she now had to work twice as hard.

They observed each other for a long pause, maybe finally taking in how tired the other looked with dark shadows under their eyes.

Maybe.

"Wha—?"

"Last April. Snape, you and both your massive egos on display in the library corridor," Marlene barked. "You hexed Grimly Belby. I was in the corridor too and my Astronomy notes got caught in your _ridiculous_ crossfire. I _needed_ those notes, Black. I _needed_ that _E_ and now I'm sitting on an _A_ because of your reckless and inconsiderate behaviour!"

Marlene's wet hands gripped desperately at the destroyed leather.

Sirius twisted his face in disgust. "I may be at fault for my hex hitting him _accidentally_ , but it's not my fault you're _daft_. The world doesn't revolve around you, McKinnon," He bit. "I know it may be hard to see that with your nose way up in the air, but it's time someone told you before you play the victim in front of the wrong person."

"I am _not_ daft. _You_ just don't take any responsibility." Marlene was shaking now at his derisive laugh. She looked around desperately for something to focus on in order to calm down. She didn't know why she had expected any different from him. Maybe, it was her fault for fooling herself in the heat of her frustration that he would take some accountability.

 _Maybe_.

Their group of friends were standing short of the shoreline, concerned looks etched across their faces.

"The both of you need to give it a rest," Alice scolded, she was stepping into the tide towards the two raging Gryffindors. Sirius glowered for a moment longer before rolling his eyes and limping out of the tide back onto the beach.

Propelled by her embarrassment and frustration, Marlene also made her way out of the tide. She couldn't even meet Benjy's eyes, concerned as she was she was in no mood for a poorly timed witty remark. Decidedly she trudged in the direction of the house.

Her eyes had been prickling, Sirius' words ringing in her ears, but she refused to give into the sensation. She wouldn't cry, she couldn't—she just didn't have time for it. There was too much to get done and not enough time. Things that could have been done if it hadn't been for _him._ The nerve of him to assume that she was victimizing herself!

Unsuccessfully, Marlene fumbled with the back gate's lock and let out a distressed groan. A quick smack at the wooden fence with her book would have been satisfying had a silky voice, the same silky voice that often trespassed on her poor night's rest, not spoken.

"If I were to guess, I'd say someone is in a testy mood."

The heat along her neck dissipated into an icy chill running down her spine.

A few steps behind her, Duke Travers was making his way towards her. He stopped short, his trademark modest and amiable smile adorning his face, coaxing her into ease. Duke nodded to her in greeting.

Frozen to the spot with her anger long forgotten, a sickening chill settled over her. Marlene opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a lack of words. What _could_ you say to someone whose unexpected proposal was turned down?

Should she shout for help?

 _Help for what?_ Marlene thought stupidly and then Sirius' words intruded with thoughts.

 _Victimising._

She cursed herself for stupidly forgetting her wand in her room, just because she thought she'd have no need for it down at the beach didn't mean she should always be without it.

Nervously, she glanced over his shoulder down to the shore where she had just left the safety of her group.

"I…" was all she managed to croak.

Duke smiled down at the ground and he shook his head as if he were in on some inside joke. This only helped to solidify Marlene's unease and confusion.

He caught sight of the wet book in her hand and frowned. "What happened to your book?"

Marlene's heart lurched having forgotten all too quickly of her fiasco at the beach. She lifted the book and examined it frowning.

"It, er… fell in the water," Marlene said.

"Maybe I could help?" Duke offered, extending a hand to take the book, but Marlene defensively held it out of reach. His face creased in concern.

"Oh, er… No! It's no bother really—I wasn't very fond of it," She lied. Although the prospect of Duke drying her book by magic was tempting, Marlene was determined she would not want to feed into whatever notion he'd gotten in his head that she was interested in him.

Under her cautious gaze, Duke offered a small smile before nodding.

They stood in an tense silence, listening to the crashing shore. Marlene hoped it would be enough of a hint to make himself scarce, but much to her displeasure Duke exhaled quietly.

"I got your family's rejection, McKinnon," He offered a crooked smile.

"My-my family's—?"

"Yes, you see," He took another tentative step forward and Marlene took another step backwards. Duke looked up at her, piercing green eyes clear in the bright sunlight. "I had hoped you wouldn't take it wrong way. It's just …. this is the way I was raised. Before a young wizard hopes to openly court a young witch, it's seen as a proper way to let her parents know of his intentions before word gets back to them through the grapevine. But I guess it was wrong of me to assume your family is as traditionalist as mine. It doesn't necessarily need to be a _marriage prorposal_."

At the words spoken so nonchalantly, Marlene's chest tightened.

If this had been his attempt to relieve Marlene of any worry she may have had before, he was doing a poor job. Stumped at how to respond, Marlene nervously chewed on her lower lip.

"Sorry, Travers. I don't know if I gave you— " She began.

But Duke took one last step forward, now dangerously close to her that she could feel the gate behind her. She tensed when Duke drew his wand before focusing on conjuring an envelope in front of her.

Marlene paled.

She had seen enough envelopes with the Travers crest for a lifetime. He extended the envelope towards a stunned Marlene.

Chuckling, Duke shook his head. "Don't worry, it's not another proposal. It's for my birthday dinner."

Although everything in her was crying to politely decline his invitation, Duke's gaze bordered on intimidation and Marlene thought it best to quietly accept the parchment Her hands reached out to cautiously accept the envelope.

"I really do hope we can remain friends, Ms. McKinnon," Duke gave one last encouraging smile before adding: "And I look forward to seeing you August ninth."

Marlene wasn't sure if it had been her tired imagination and lack sleep, but she was sure he had winked before turning and heading for the wooden bridge towards the Point Coquille village.

With her second unexpected envelope for the day at hand, Marlene defeatedly thought of how her late night Insomniac musings had grown by one more.

* * *

 _Ghosts and devils come a calling_  
 _Calling my name out, lost in the fire_  
 _Sweet Virginia blood is calling_  
 _Calling my name out, lost in the fire_

 _Fire_ – Barns Courtney


End file.
